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Roy Glashan's Library
Non sibi sed omnibus
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"WHAT does it mean, sir?" Tinker asked impetuously.
Sexton Blake, standing on the hearthrug in his sitting-room in Baker Street, and holding a telegram in his hands, was looking over the lad's head, and gazing abstractedly at the opposite wall. He moved slowly towards the door.
"You might pack our traps," he said. "And stay in; don't go out on any account. The Continental train leaves in a couple of hours, and I may not have time to get back. I'll telephone, if necessary."
"Then you think that—"
"I want to be ready for any eventuality, that is all," Blake said. "The telegram has merely summoned me to the Admiralty, but—"
He shrugged his shoulders, and ran briskly down the stairs.
Jumping into a passing taximeter, he was rapidly whisked down Oxford Street and Regent Street to Whitehall, and, alighting at the Admiralty, he walked up the steps and addressed the porter on duty.
"The First Lord of the Admiralty has sent for me," he explained. "Kindly take my card to the proper quarter."
The porter read the name and looked at Blake. He at once pressed an electric button, and on the instant a tall, well-dressed gentleman opened a door at the far end of the corridor and hurried down. His clean-shaven face was grave; his manner was anxious. Taking Blake's arm in silence, he turned to the porter.
"Not a word about this to anyone, Marlton," he said severely.
The porter saluted.
"I've just had my orders, Sir James. And no one in the building knows that Mr. Blake has come."
The gentleman with his hand still lightly resting on Blake's arm, walked rapidly along the corridor. On Blake's face there was a quiet smile. So his surmise seemed to be correct. He was conducted into a large, comfortable room, and, once inside, his companion locked the door. Then he suddenly grew bright.
"Now, my part of the work is over," he said. "I have no further responsibility. I'm pleased to have this opportunity of making your acquaintance, Mr. Blake. My name is Seyton."
"Oh, Parliamentary and Financial Secretary!" Blake said. "Your face seemed familiar. I remember now that you were dining a few months ago in the House of Commons at the next table to myself and some friends."
"You have a good memory," Seyton replied laughingly. "There is really an amusing coincidence in this. You were pointed out to me that night, and, of course, I was interested in our great British detective. So when a difficulty arose here, concerning Which you will be told in a few minutes, your name seemed to flash into my mind as an inspiration. Will you take a seat? I must let them know that you have arrived."
Sir James Seyton crossed the room and opened an inner door. The murmur of voices which Blake had heard whilst Seyton was talking, stopped on the instant. Blake had laid his hat and umbrella on the table, and was drawing off his gloves, when he heard his name mentioned in gruff, breezy accents.
"Sexton Blake! Let's have him in at once, my lord. All this talk is only waste of time!"
Seyton came out on to the threshold and beckoned. Blake passed him, entered the inner room, and Seyton, closing the door, withdrew. Six gentlemen were seated around a table. The one at the head was elderly, elegantly attired, and unmistakably a civilian. Next him on the left was a younger man, also a civilian. The other four were naval officers. All this was evident to Blake in the one swift, penetrating glance he gave as he advanced. He knew at once that he was in the presence of the six Lords Commissioners on whom the responsibility for our naval supremacy depended. The gentleman at the head of the table stood up and held out his hand.
"Glad to see you, Mr. Blake. It was good of you to come so quickly in reply to our urgent telegram," he began. "Fawcett, do you mind changing your seat? I should like Mr. Blake to be next to me. Now, Admiral Rochfort, shall I explain the case, or would you like to do so?"
The younger civilian had moved farther down, and the admiral thus addressed bent forward and brought his fist with a bang down on the table.
"You're on your own quarter-deck, Lord Bamford," he rapped out a trifle testily. There's not much to be said, and I'm for plain speaking always when talk is necessary, though I prefer deeds to words any day. A dozen Dreadnoughts this year would settle the question, and I'd lay down a dozen more next year if they kept on at this bluff. Yes, and a dozen the year after, and perhaps then the Reichstag would have the sense to give up trying to build battleships against us."
"It's not the fault of the Reichstag or of the German people," Blake remarked quietly. "I think they want to attend to commerce and be left alone."
All the gentlemen around the table sat up straight. Another naval officer looked fixedly at Blake.
"You know a bit," he said. "Yes, someone else calls
the tune, and they have to pay the piper. Germany is run by one man. Bah! They think they have liberty there. They don't know what the word means. If ever we get alongside 'em and loose off, we'll show 'em that British independence and pluck—"
"Captain Aylmer! Captain Aylmer!" the First Lord protested. "We must remember that Germany at present is to be regarded as a friendly power. We are at peace with that great nation. Whatever your private opinion may be—"
"My opinion is held by four-fifths of the British people, my lord, and I don't understand Parliamentary etiquette and soft sawder!" the blunt captain replied doggedly. "We are at peace with all the world to-day, and the reason is because we are strong. No one, therefore, wants to tackle us. But if what we have just been told is really going on, then we are likely to lose our supremacy at sea. I'm not a fool, and I know that a Continental Power doesn't build a big navy secretly without an object. Germany has the finest army in the world. Now she wants to rival the greatest navy. Why? Answer me that! If that's not the spirit of aggression, then I don't know what the word means."
"Well, well, we can debate this matter at another time," the First Lord suggested suavely.
"Quite so," the other civilian acquiesced.
Captain Aylmer laughed mirthlessly.
"I've no doubt that you two gentlemen would be quite ready to talk by the hour in Parliament, whilst we were banging away trying against odds to keep the Flag flying," he growled. You'd have what you've just called a debate, and think you were doing a lot of work, when, in point of fact— Oh, all right; I'll say no more!"
The three other naval officers had been smiling in agreement as Captain Aylmer had been speaking, and by this time the First Lord and his junior civilian were evidently annoyed. Captain Aylmer sank back on his chair with his head on his chest and his hands in his pockets, and the First Lord turned to Blake.
"Captain Aylmer has dropped a hint as to the reason we sent for you, Mr. Blake," he began. "We have this morning received confidential intelligence from Berlin of an unexpected nature, but I do not think myself it is so disquieting as some of my colleagues suppose."
"Disquieting!" Admiral Rochfort gasped. "My lord, you must be a man who would think nothing of an earthquake, as long as you were out of it!"
"Really—really!" the First Lord ejaculated angrily. "I beg of you, gentlemen, to let me proceed."
"Then tell Sexton Blake straight out what the trouble is, my lord!" another naval officer cried quickly. "It's all in a nutshell, Blake. They've erected a new yard in Germany-—a huge one, capable of turning out—"
The First Lord shrugged his shoulders impatiently.
"Since you've begun, you'd better give a complete statement of the affair, Admiral Dextard," he said icily. "I find that my efforts are not appreciated."
Dextard went on imperturbably. His eyes were flashing; wrath and scorn were in his voice.
"A huge yard, mind you!" he said, gazing solely at Blake. "It's built and in use now, and we haven't heard a word about it until this morning. We're supposed, in a general way, to know all that's going on in Germany, or in France or Russia for that matter. Our Government and the Germans exchange polite statements on naval affairs. We estimate our necessary expenditure for the year on the strength of these statements. And now we find that we've been fooled, for that's the long and short of it. Do you call that playing the game? I don't!"
"Is it a ship-building yard?" Blake asked.
"No. Though they have been very secret and alert in the matter of vessels also; so we hear. They've made rings round us there, too. This new yard is for the manufacture Of guns and other munitions of war. Guns are no use without ships, and ships are no use without guns. In point of fact, it takes longer to make big guns than to build the ships. So if they have the guns ready to be mounted they could turn out a Dreadnought on the high seas in twelve months, or less, when, if they started making both the guns and ships at the same time they might have to wait for two years."
"And how many guns have they made already in this yard?"
We haven't an idea," Dextard said. "That is what we want you to find out. We know, though, that a year ago they had only six slips or so on which they could build Dreadnoughts, and now they have seventeen. Why did they lay down those seventeen slips if they don't mean to build seventeen Dreadnoughts? They don't throw away their money like fools, do they? And why have they erected all this new plant if they don't mean to manufacture the guns for the seventeen Dreadnoughts?
"They may have enough guns on hand for a dozen at this moment, and in that case they could have a dozen on the North Sea in twelve months from to-day."
"Yes, yes! That is the most gloomy side of the picture, though," Lord Bamford protested irritably.
"It seems to me, my lord, that a strong nation armed is a strong nation at peace," Blake said gravely. "In business a wise man guards against every possible risk; as soon as he relaxes his watchfulness, others more keen than himself undermine his efforts. Why should we be more prudent in our personal affairs than in the guardianship of our country? Why should we adopt one principle in private business, and take an opposite view when the safety of our great Empire depends equally on our forethought and enterprise? It may be that the Government of to-day is afraid to make a special appeal to the country for the naval estimates necessary to assure our safety. The Government need have no fear. If it wanted twenty millions to keep an invader from our shores it would get it with enthusiasm."
"All this is beside the mark," the First Lord replied tartly. His face had flushed. "I admire your spirit and patriotism, Mr. Blake, and your conversation would be very interesting at the proper time, but we asked you to come here in order-—"
"I know why you sent for me, my lord," Blake cut in. His manner had suddenly become frigid. "You want me to go to Germany and risk my life."
"Well, if you do not like, Mr. Blake—-"
"My lord, like these naval gentlemen here, I am a man who is always ready, as a matter of course, to go into danger in defence of my country," Blake interjected again. "And let me point out that, even if the British Navy went to the bottom of the sea to-morrow, and an invader landed, and our Territorials were trying to keep him back, you are the man who would still be out of danger here in Whitehall, whilst sending others to their graves, and dining and sleeping in comfort yourself. I have no particular wish that you should admire my spirit for patriotism. Personally, I should prefer that when I utter what is the thought of every Britisher who is worth his salt, you would at least listen without trying to snub me. If you think my opinion is beside the mark, it is quite evident that you do not consider my services are beside the mark. I am not your servant or the servant of the Government. I meet you as man to man. And my respect is for these brave British naval officers who have faced danger, and do not send a man into it without a thought."
"I'm sorry if I have offended you, Mr. Blake," the First Lord began apologetically. "Nothing was further from my intention. This is really most awkward. You—er—"
Blake stood up. All the others rose, too.
"I'll go to Germany," he said. "But not for the sake of this Government. I care nothing about politics. I'll go for the sake of my country. This is a time of grave national danger, and that's enough for me."
Admiral Rochfort bent across the table. The old warrior's eyes were bright; he held out his hand, which Blake clasped.
"Spoken like a man!" he said. "Egad! I wish I could be of any use there, and I'd go too! One thing though first, Blake. You know that if you get into trouble you must face it single-handed. You will be violating international law. We cannot help you."
"Oh, yes, I'm aware of that, of course," Blake replied cheerily.
"All right. But if you go under, the Navy won't forget you, old man. We'll keep your name green, and—er—ahem!—if ever the scrap does come, we'll fire all the harder when we remember who played you down."
DAS Neue Palais at Potsdam was brilliantly lighted, and an endless train of vehicles were driving up to the door, for the Kaiser and his Royal consort were holding a reception. It mattered not that hungry women were hanging about the courtyard after a hard day's work of scrubbing and cleaning. They were only the outdoor servants, and according to German Imperial ideas should have been well content with their hunk of salt pork and black bread. Nor did it matter either if the lackeys in their hundreds felt the pinch of hunger too. Their uniforms were the most magnificent in the world; whatever they suffered they looked splendid, and that was all that troubled their Royal master. And that the courtiers should be ill at ease, and that the ladies of the entourage should be weak with constant standing and bowing was quite an insignificant fact, too. For they were only ciphers. The Kaiser was everything. As long as the scene in the reception-rooms was dazzling, so that his greatness might stand out all the more conspicuously, the trials and discomforts of others were of no concern. Show and glitter externally! Privation, penury, and veiled malice and hatred in the hearts of the hundreds of the household! Such is the German Court.
And now the gilded halls were rapidly filling. Soldiers in superb uniforms, so costly that many of their wearers were on the verge of bankruptcy, trooped into the castle obediently to the Royal command. The Kaiser took no notice of them. They made a gorgeous background; that was enough. Ladies in exquisite toilets which they could ill afford were attending the reception, because once summoned they did not dare to stay away. Gold-uniformed lackeys were carrying trays of weak coffee to the guests; musicians were playing an air which the Kaiser had composed, and all were struggling to hide their laughter, so feeble was the music. And on a dais, with the Empress unnoticed by his side, his Imperial Majesty sat vain-glorious, his moustache waxed at either end and turned up aggressively, his figure encased in stays to give it a better shape, his fingers covered with rings like a woman's, and a haughty, contemptuous smile on his face.
Before him were half a dozen very old gentlemen, the greatest men in his kingdom, the men on whose judgment he would have to rely in time of danger, and he didn't even invite them to sit down. The old must stand before him till they fall, though he is still in the prime of life. Thus does he treat his subjects.
The music stopped, and the Kaiser spoke.
"How do you like my new waltz, Herr von Gratzvan?" he asked.
"I think it is even better than the last you composed, your Majesty," that gentleman replied, with a twinkle in his eyes.
"Have you seen my new picture, Count Dansfort?" the Kaiser wont on.
"It is a perfect gem, your Majesty," Count Dansfort, the celebrated artist, replied, nearly shrieking with laughter.
"Yes, it is excellent," the Kaiser agreed, too vain to see his own absurdities. "Some day, perhaps, I will teach you how to paint as you really should."
"Your Majesty can do everything, and everything your Majesty does is perfect," said a withered-looking old
courtier, whilst all the others turned away to hide a grin. "You are the greatest statesman in the Fatherland, and the greatest soldier, and the best admiral, and the finest musician, and the truest artist. There is no one like your illustrious Majesty in the world."
The Kaiser smiled.
"I have never yet met the man whom I could not break if he would not bond to my will," he said. "You all would do well to remember that. My wrath is the most terrible punishment that could fall upon you. Ha, here comes the British Ambassador! Go tell him to come to me at once."
A handsome, elderly British gentleman had entered the salon, and one of the courtiers rushed to him breathlessly.
"His Imperial and all powerful Majesty bids you hurry to him. He would deign to speak to you," he said.
The English Ambassador slightly elevated his eyebrows.
"He would deign to speak to me!" he repeated slowly. "Go, tell your master that I am the representative of King Edward. Such language, therefore, is unbefitting the German Kaiser, for, unlike you, I am not his slave."
The British Ambassador turned to speak to a lady, and the courtier returned slowly to the dais.
"Well? Why doesn't he come here at once?" the Kaiser demanded angrily.
"He says he is the representative of the British King, your Majesty, and that he is not a German slave," the courtier faltered.
The Kaiser scowled.
"Those impudent Britishers!" he gasped. "They dare to defy me! Yet, I cannot punish him as I would like. But the time is coming when I will crush them under my heel. Ay, it will not be long now before I will have a fleet bigger than theirs. And then—-then—"
He stopped. A broad-shouldered, fierce-looking man in German military uniform had stalked into the room, and was pushing his way towards the dais. Something in his face and manner diverted the Kaiser's thoughts. He bent forward and gazed in some alarm.
"Here comes General von Libnau, the head of my Intelligence Department. He was at Bremen but yesterday," he murmured. "He looks as if he is the bearer of ill news. What can have happened? Make way. for him at once!"
The crowd of sycophants around the dais blundered against one another in their hurry to obey the harshly-spoken command, and Libnau strode amongst them and saluted.
"General von Libnau, why are you not at Bremen?" the Kaiser demanded, twirling his moustache and lowering his brows. "You have not my permission to come to Potsdam."
"I crave your Majesty's pardon," Libnau replied humbly, "but had I not hurried hither, I fear I would have deserved your censure even more. Intelligence of an alarming nature has reached me."
"What have you heard?"
"A cipher telegram from one of our emissaries in London tells me that the British Admiralty is bestirring itself."
"Pooh! Is that all?"
"No, your Majesty. They have found out in some way what we sought to keep secret. They know that we are building battleships more rapidly than we led them to believe."
The Kaiser started.
"How did that fact leak out?" he demanded.
"I have no idea," Libnau replied. "My duty, as your Majesty knows, is to obtain information of events in Britain. I am not responsible for traitors in the Fatherland."
"Humph! How much do the Britishers know, think you?"
Libnau shifted his legs and gazed apprehensively at his
master.
"I have reason to believe that they know of the new yard
we have built, and of the work that is being done there," he said.
The Kaiser's face grew a trifle sallow.
"If that be so, and if these Britishers bestir themselves, there is still time for them to upset my plans. They may yet be able to retain the supremacy of the sea. Woe to the traitor who has told them when once he is in my power! Do you suspect anyone?"
"Not as yet, your Majesty."
The Kaiser gazed intently at the rugged general.
"There is something more than you have said already on your mind, Von Libnau," he rapped out. "Speak, man!"
"Sexton Blake called at the Admiralty two days ago."
"Well, what of that?"
"He left London forty minutes later, and is now in Germany."
"Sexton Blake in Germany!" the Kaiser gasped. "Where is he?"
"I do not know, your Majesty."
"What?"
"He was seen crossing the border from France. Since then he has disappeared from sight; no one knows where he is. He didn't come through Bremen; had he done so I would have had him shadowed."
The Kaiser stood up without replying, and walked down the salon till he came face to face with the British Ambassador.
"A word with you, Sir Stephen Halsted?" he said. The British Ambassador bowed courteously.
"I have much pleasure in giving your Majesty my best attention," he replied.
"Hark you, Sir Stephen!" the Kaiser began, in suppressed wrath. "I have reason to think that one of your countrymen has come to the Fatherland with an unfriendly intention. Your nation and mine are at peace. I demand, therefore, that you assist me to the full extent of your powers in discovering his hiding-place."
"Who may the man be, your Majesty?"
"His name is well known all over the world. I have met him myself on some occasions both in Berlin and in London. He is the brilliant detective, Sexton Blake."
"Sexton Blake! Ah, my very good friend!" Sir Stephen replied whole-heartedly. "But I think you said he was in hiding, your Majesty?"
"None of my officials know where he is," the Kaiser said indignantly. "Does not that look as if he is trying to hide himself?"
"No, your Majesty," Sir Stephen Halsted explained, as he smiled, "for the very good reason that Sexton Blake is my guest at the British Embassy."
The Kaiser took a step back. The look in his eyes was one of rage, tinged with suspicion.
"Why has Sexton Blake come to Germany?" he asked.
"A detective does not usually tell the reason of his actions, your Majesty."
"Sir Stephen Halsted, I insist upon a direct reply," the Kaiser persisted, domineeringly.
"Pardon me, your Majesty, but you forget for the moment that you are not my master. I serve King Edward."
"This man has come here for the purpose of creating strife between my country and yours," the Kaiser went on hotly. "He must leave Germany at once. That is my command."
"The British Embassy is British territory according to international law," Sir Stephen replied coldly." Sexton Blake is as much under the protection of the British flag in my house as if he was in London. He stays there as long as I wish."
"Take care—take care!" the Kaiser cried, his voice quivering with passion. "Your action may cause a declaration of war!"
"And if it should do so, Britain is prepared just at present, and I hope she will always be wise enough to take the necessary steps to keep so," Sir Henry said icily.
"Ha! That explains the reason why you are giving shelter to this mischief maker!" the Kaiser scoffed. "You have heard what I, too, have just been told. But let me point out to you that if Sexton Blake or any other Britisher comes prying into my State secrets, then even your Embassy will not be a protection to him. You would be obliged to hand him over to me, or you would be guilty of a violation of international law."
"That may be the case," the British Ambassador agreed. "But until Sexton Blake commits some act such as you suggest, he is entitled to British protection, and he will get it!"
The Kaiser had raised his voice; his bearing and manner showed the passion which he was no longer able to control. All in the crowded salon were gazing in breathless alarm at him and the dignified British Ambassador, who all through the altercation had kept his self-command. Now the Kaiser swung round, and with spurs clanking and eyes blazing he tramped out of the salon. Half a dozen courtiers of the household hurried after him, whilst the music stopped, and his scared guests began whispering eagerly together.
The Kaiser tramped through the great reception rooms, and mounted the stairs to his private apartments. He wished to confer with his advisers at once, and in secret, and he knew that they would follow him. He walked along a passage, and flung open his study door.
It was a large, brightly-lighted room, but incongruously furnished, indicating perhaps, thereby, the unstable mind and temperament of its owner. The damask on the walls was faded; on every side were large pier glasses, so that the Kaiser could see himself wherever he turned; some of the furniture was of beautiful design, some of it was vulgar and commonplace. The tables were crowded, with photographs, marine pictures were hanging on the walls, and an immense buhl chest of drawers with a grey marble top, was in one corner. As the Kaiser crossed the threshold he gave a cry, and dashed across the room. The chest of drawers was open!
He rushed to it in dismay, and found that the lock had been forced. His shout brought his courtiers hurrying the faster, and as they trooped in, he turned, and his face was ashen.
"Some one has been here!" he gasped. "Some one has broken the lock! My secret papers! They may have been stolen! Those plans I had of the new gun-yard! Quick! Let no one leave! See if any stranger is in the palace!"
Instantly there was the wildest commotion. The sentries on duty were eagerly questioned, hurrying figures flitted from end to end of the castle; a regiment was summoned and formed a cordon around the huge building; no one was permitted to depart. And meantime tho Kaiser examined the pigeon holes in the chest of drawers feverishly. Whilst thus engaged an excited official hurried into the room.
"The plans are safe, your Majesty!" he cried. "Do you not remember? Acting on your orders I sent them yesterday to-—"
He had not time to finish before the comptroller of the household rushed in too.
"All the servants are here except a young lad, your Majesty," he cried triumphantly.
The Kaiser sat down heavily.
"Who is the lad who is missing?" he asked.
"A page called Groeth."
"Was he in uniform?"
"Yes, your Majesty."
"Then Sexton Blake has started to work already," the Kaiser thundered, with a fresh access of passion. "He has kidnapped Groeth! And that chest of drawers was forced open not by Blake, but by his audacious young assistant, Tinker, dressed in Groeth's uniform!"
THE Kaiser went back to the chest of drawers and examined the papers again. He went over each package very carefully. Then he turned.
"Send for General von Libnau!" he said.
The sturdy general soon marched into the room, and with a wave of his hand the Kaiser dismissed the other courtiers. Then locking the door, he began to speak with bitter coldness and venom.
"Von Libnau," he began, "I have always regarded you as the most daring officer in the Fatherland, and as one of my staunchest adherents."
"I hope I will always be able to retain your Majesty's good opinion," the soldier replied.
"I mean to put your courage to the proof," the Kaiser continued.
"I feel honoured, your Majesty."
"Listen, and I will explain. I am at the present moment in one of the greatest difficulties of my life! For years I have worked for the one object; all my diplomacy has been fashioned in that direction; night and day my thoughts have ever been in the one groove. You know that I do not love Britain?"
The general twisted his moustache, and his eyes twinkled. "You have concealed your feelings admirably, your Majesty," he ventured.
"I have suppressed them at all costs, because I was waiting for the right moment to strike," the Kaiser replied. "That moment seemed to be near at hand; the Britishers were almost handed over to me. The first Dreadnought that was built was so much in advance of all other battleships in construction, that the vessels launched previously could not possibly stand up against her. In a couple of years they will be obsolete and only fit for the scrap heap, So while the Britishers up till then had such a large fleet that I could never hope to rival them, now both they and I start afresh. Nothing counts now but Dreadnoughts! If I build as fast as they do, I am their equal at sea. And, in point of fact, I was building faster in secret! Now do you see how they were nearly handed over to me?"
"But cannot that continue?"
"Yes, if you do your work."
Libnau started.
"The British Admiralty has become suspicious, but the British people do not know their peril," the Kaiser went on. "A man-—Sexton Blake-—"
"Sexton Blake!"
"Yes. You have heard of him too. I see. Sexton Blake has been sent over here to find out all he can, and if any man could succeed it would be him. At all costs he must be stopped, Libnau. You clearly understand what I mean?"
The general instinctively tapped his sword hilt.
"I will do my utmost, your Majesty," he said grimly.
"He has set to work already, the Kaiser explained.
"My private chest of drawers yonder has been rifled! Rifled, I say! Fortunately, the plans he is seeking were not there. But other papers of immense importance have been stolen. Sexton Blake is at present at the British Embassy, and that obstinate ambassador, Sir Henry Halsted, will not help me. I am in a dilemma out of which you must extricate me."
"Your Majesty has only to explain what you want done, and I will carry out your orders without a moment's delay."
"No, no I We must proceed cautiously, my good Libnau," tho Kaiser said. "We cannot get Blake out of the safe refuge of the British Embassy until he has been proved guilty of an offence that comes within the scope of the international law. Were we to kidnap him, Sir Henry Halsted would at once come to me; the British Government would intervene; Blake's sudden disappearance would be noised abroad, stories would get into the London papers, and the British public would rise in their wrath like one man, for Blake is one of their most popular heroes."
"But he has dared to come in here?"
"He has sent his young assistant here, and that is as bad as if he was guilty himself," the Kaiser agreed. "I am certain that what I say is true. But alas! I have not the proof at present. You must get that proof for me, Libnau. That is one of the things you must do. Discover where a young page in my household called Groeth is hidden; rescue him and bring him to me. Also find out where Blake has concealed the papers he stole from this room. If successful in either of these undertakings, then we can insist on Sir Henry Halsted handing him over to be tried by German law."
"But if he has the lad or the papers in the British Embassy?"
"No, no. Your mind can be at ease on that point; neither are there. Blake would not run the risk of getting his friend, Sir Henry Halsted, into difficulties. Moreover, he is very shrewd, and he knows that I could exact an humble apology from the British Government if the Embassy had been used for such a purpose. You must look elsewhere."
"Then that is what I am to set about?"
The Kaiser looked across the table at the general. There was an odd malicious expression in his eyes.
"If Blake had an enemy in Germany and got into trouble with him, I could not be blamed for that, as long as my entourage were not connected with the matter," he said. "I would, of course, express deep sympathy with the British nation; that is all that would be expected of me."
Libnau rubbed his lips to hide a grin of approval.
"Sexton Blake can be put in the way of making many enemies, your Majesty," he remarked. "If he chances to fall foul of one or other of them, he must take care of himself. Britishers are not popular in Germany just now. I fully understand."
"Then go now, Von Libnau, and come back when you have good tidings to bring."
With military swiftness the general saluted, wheeled round on his heels, and tramped from the room.
Meanwhile Sir Henry Halsted had left the castle and driven back to the Embassy. A quiet smile was on his face all the way. He entered his private suite of rooms expecting to see Blake there, but to his disappointment the great detective was not to be found. Sir Henry rang a bell, and a footman entered.
"Where is Mr. Blake?" the ambassador asked.
"He went out shortly after you left, your Excellency," the man replied. "He did not say what time he would be back."
Sir Henry sat down, uneasy in mind, to await his guest's return. After what had occurred at the castle, he knew that Blake was running serious danger in being abroad in the streets at night. Moreover, the political situation had suddenly become extremely critical. The German Emperor had heard of the reason of Blake's arrival; events now were bound to follow fast. The Germans would stop at nothing to checkmate the great detective, and Blake, he knew well, would go to all lengths to discover the depths of German intrigue and perfidy. A false step, and Britain and Germany would be plunged headlong into war!
He sat in his library, trying to pass the time by reading, but every few minutes his thoughts wandered from his book, and his eyes sought the clock on the mantelpiece. Twelve o'clock came, and Blake had not returned! One o'clock, and he was still absent. Sir Henry bade his valet go to bed, and sat up alone, a prey to anxiety, in his palatial mansion. On the stroke of two he heard a footstep in tho corridor, and the door was opened. Blake, travel-stained and in clothes splashed with mud, was smilingly gazing at him.
"My dear fellow, I've been filled with alarm about you! Where have you been?" Sir Henry cried, jumping to his feet.
Blake closed the door and advanced.
"I have not the good fortune to be a representative of our King, Sir Henry," he said, with a soft chuckle. "I had to stay at the Kaiser's castle until the troops were marched back to barracks, and the guests were allowed to leave."
"You've been in the Neues Palais?"
"Yes."
Sir Henry sat down heavily.
"And I heard a very charming conversation there," Blake went on lightly. "One that would interest you very much were I to tell you, but in your position as ambassador to the German Court the less you know of my doings the better. The Kaiser did not seem to notice that the door between his study and his dressing-room was a couple of inches ajar!"
Sir Henry gasped.
"When I did manage to leave, I had work to do that kept me until now," Blake went on. " But it is not about this I have come to speak to you. Sir Henry, I want to thank you for your hospitality, and I must bid you goodbye. I cannot stay in the Embassy any longer."
"My dear Blake, you must not think of going! The risk would be terrible!" Sir Henry protested. "Why, man, your life would not be worth an hour's purchase if you did!"
"I've told you why I've come to Germany; we've talked over all that," Blake replied. "And the time has come for action now. I have to take on the Kaiser and his satellites in my own way, and my way cannot be according to the rules of diplomacy. I know the danger I am running; a price is on my head already. General von Libnau may not get money, it is true, for the Kaiser is parsimonious except in pursuit of his own pleasure; but he will get the reward he craves in further titles and insignias if—- But there, I will not burden your mind with secrets that might prove troublesome."
"You mean you must fight the Kaiser from this on?"
"I mean that I must use force, if necessary, to get the information I want," Blake said, tapping the table with his knuckles. "I am going to be hunted down as if I was a pest! In return I mean to strike back as hard as ever I can. I don't usually stand inactive waiting to be attacked. This time I mean to get in the first blow, or, rather, a second one, for I've scored first, as it is. So you see that my residence in the Embassy is altogether out of the question any longer. I am defying all Germany! That is really what it comes to! A tall order? Yes! A very big one, but it is the only game I can play."
Sir Henry Halsted looked with pride at the tall, determined man with the clean-shaven, powerful face and deep-set eyes.
"I won't gainsay you, Blake! In fact, I can't, for the safety of Britain is in your keeping, and you would not listen to my advice even if I offered it. I know you of old, my dear fellow, when once your mind is made up." He smiled a trifle, and then sighed. "I wish this business was well over," he went on. "My anxiety will be intense until I know that you are safely back in London. But you will pull through all right—something tells me so. When are you going to leave Potsdam?"
"I have work to do here first," Blake replied. "When that is finished, I shalt slip away quietly, and you won't hear anything about me unless there is a big panic of some sort! Meantime, as arranged, you will keep an eye on affairs here in the usual diplomatic way, and watch for the first signs of the storm?"
"Yes."
"Then good-bye, Sir Henry, and many thanks. Don't come to the door. I am going to slip out the back way."
The two friends shook hands in silence with that British grip that is so undemonstrative, and yet means so much. Blake stepped lightly from the room, and softly closed the door. He made his way down the stairs, across a narrow passage, and he cautiously opened a back door. A small figure was standing in an embrasure opposite.
"Is the coast clear, Tinker?" he asked.
"Yes, sir. We've got a chance to bolt!"
TINKER had a long, thin parcel in paper under his arm, and together they walked the lane and gazed on either side of the broad street facing them. No one was about. Turning to the right, they hurried along till they came to a big mansion, one of several; but whilst the others were in darkness, this one was still brilliantly lighted on the ground floor.
"No one about, Tinker?" Blake asked.
"I cannot see anyone, sir."
Blake walked along the length of the building, peeping under the blinds into each room. Suddenly he pulled out his large pocket-knife, pushed back a window-catch, and raised the lower sash.
"Come on!" he whispered.
He stepped into the room, and Tinker, following nimbly, closed the window when they were both inside.
"That was sharp work!" Blake murmured. "Do you see the large screen yonder, my lad? We must both get behind there."
They stood and waited. The room was a very large one; bookshelves ran round three of the walls; a large table was in the centre; heavy armchairs were on either side of the fireplace; a desk stood close to the window; the carpet was costly and soft under the feet; some pictures, an occasional table, small chairs, a couple of busts, and a few knickknacks completed the furniture. They could hear the murmur of voices in the distance.
"He won't be long now," Blake whispered. "He hasn't locked and closed his desk, and he is certain to do that before going to bed."
The murmur in the distance suddenly grew louder; a door had been opened. Then they could hear the tramping of heavy feet. Next moment General von Libnau stalked in, followed by two other men.
"A word on the quiet with you two fellows before you go," the general began. "The others have my official instructions, but there is something of a particular nature I want to say to you. The authorities in every town and village in the Fatherland know by this time that they are to be on the alert to catch this Britisher, Sexton Blake. Thousands are watching for him, and it will be a wonder truly if he eludes them all. But there's just one thing besides."
"And what may that be, general?" the stoutest and fiercest of his companions inquired.
"Ah! Something after your own heart, my dear Walsee!" the general chuckled. "Your sword arm would be the better for a little practice, I'll be bound! These slack times when there is no fighting are apt to soften our muscles."
"You mean—-"
"If you come across the fellow, pick a quarrel with him! Pick a quarrel any way that comes into your head. That would simplify everything. If he won't fight, treat him as a coward deserves. If you can get him to cross swords, I have no doubt as to the result. I make the same suggestion to you, Kotze. And you might pass the idea around amongst our military friends. Now I'm going to turn in. This has been a very busy night, and I have hard work before me from this on, until the Britisher is disposed of, for our master, as you know, gives none of us any rest, once he gets into one of his tantrums."
The three men left the room, and crossed the hall to the front door. Tinker shot a swift look at Blake; the great detective's face was set, and his eyes were shining with a hard light. They could hear Libnau returning to his library, humming a tune. He walked across the room, and, taking a key out of his pocket, he proceeded to stow his papers away, and to lock his desk. Blake moved from the screen, and Tinker, in obedience to a gesture, stepped softly to the door. Libnau still humming cheerily, turned to switch off the light. He saw Tinker first, and gazed for an instant at the lad in mild perplexity. Then he caught sight of Blake. On the instant, his expression changed. He winced. But at heart he was a courageous man, and he at once grew stern again. His hands closed, a scowl swept over his rugged features, he drew himself to his full height, and looked as if he was about to advance.
"Tinker, lock the door!" Blake said coldly. "General von Libnau, I have come here to demand an explanation from you!"
Libnau stood stock still. He had believed at first that these two intruders were a pair of audacious burglars; now he recognised the refinement of Blake's accent, he observed his manly bearing, and he noticed also that the great detective's German pronunciation had a foreign ring. He glanced from Blake to the long bell-cord by the mantelpiece.
"Do not attempt to summon assistance!" Blake continued. "You need have no fear in any case; I am not an assassin."
"How did you get in here?" Libnau demanded hoarsely.
"Through the window! Do not raise your voice so loud, please; you might be heard, and that would certainly be awkward for you, and possibly for me, too. Our interview can take place without witnesses, other than the lad who is here now."
"Who are you?" the general asked, in complete amazement.
"My name is Sexton Blake. I am the Britisher whom you are seeking. I thought I would spare you the trouble of searching for me."
Libnau drew his breath with a sudden, overwhelming gasp. Of all men in the world, Sexton Blake was the very last he would have expected to see at the moment. He had spent three hours making the most elaborate preparations for his capture; he believed him either to be skulking safely in the British Embassy, or else in hiding in some low quarter of the city. He had reckoned on a long hunt before he would run him down. And now he was here-—here in his own house! Here in his library, standing cool and stern, talking not like a terrified captive, but, on the contrary, like one who feels himself in the strong position.
Libnau moistened his lips with his tongue, and he felt his eyes growing round. He stared at Blake, and the longer he stared, the more he wondered if he was not the victim of a nightmare. Had he had the British detective so deeply on his mind through his waking hours that now he was fancying all this in his sleep? But Blake's voice soon dispelled any further suggestion of illusion.
"You seem surprised to see me, general," he went on, with a smile he could not control, the German soldier's rugged face had become so comical to gaze on. "I am sorry I have caused you any annoyance or inconvenience at this early hour in the morning when we would both be happily in bed, were it not for your own actions."
"Why have you come here? How did you find out my address?" Libnau rapped out.
"Your address was easy to ascertain," Blake replied. General von Libnau is well known wherever he goes. I came here partly because I know you are anxious to meet me, and partly because I intend to demand satisfaction."
"Satisfaction! What do you mean?"
Blake laid the narrow parcel Tinker had been carrying, on the table, and proceeded to unroll the paper in which it was wrapped.
"You have given instructions to others to pick a quarrel with me whenever they get the chance," he said. "I suggest that you pick the quarrel yourself, general! Germany is not quite large enough at present for you and me! I want to get about freely wherever I wish to go. You mean to stand in my way. Well, let us settle our dispute like gentlemen. The man who wins will be able to go about his business without irksome interference."
He had unrolled the paper whilst speaking, and now he was balancing a pair of rapiers in his hand. Libnau bent forward and stared again. Then he smiled.
"Oh, dear! You certainly are a cool card!" he said. "I'm getting over the surprise you gave me, and beginning to understand things somewhat clearly. You Britishers are mad, and you are decidedly the maddest of the lot. Do you know that you have run your neck into the noose? Do you know that I am head of the Intelligence Department?"
"It is precisely on that account that I have come here," Blake explained. "When one cuts off the head, the tail can't do much harm. Choose your weapon, general! I think you will find but slight difference between them."
"You really, want me to fight a duel?" Libnau gasped. "You, a man whom we consider as no better than a miscreant, whilst I—-I-—"
"If you won't fight, I must treat you as a coward deserves!" Blake cut in sternly. "You used these words a few minutes ago to one of your lieutenants when speaking about me, and you forget I heard them. The advice is good in any case, and I will adopt it now. The moment for trifling has gone by, General von Libnau. I have given you sufficient time to get over the shock of finding me here; I did not wish to take an unfair advantage. Your Imperial master says he regards you as one of the most daring officers in the Fatherland! Now prove your courage, as he suggested. Come, sir, I have had enough of this! Let us begin!"
Blake's biting sarcasm had stung the German officer like the lash of a whip. His face went purple he sprang forward and plucked one of the rapiers out Of the detective's hand.
"You insolent dog!" he hissed. "So someone overheard and has already betrayed the conversation I had with his Majesty the Kaiser! Fall to, then! Fall to! Your intrigues are over for ever!"
The rapiers flashed and jarred, and sparks flew on the instant. Quick as lightning Blake had thrown himself into position; with an impetuosity he could not restrain, Libnau opened an attack. But hardly had he begun, than instinct warned him he had met no unworthy foe. On the instant his wrath evaporated, steadfast courage came instead; his brain cleared as if a cloud had suddenly lifted; he fought with the dexterity for which he had been justly famed. He pressed on, relying on his powerful wrist play to get a point of leverage. Blake, seeking to ascertain the General's style, retreated slowly, and Libnau pressed him hard. The rapiers flashed as if in circles of steel in the electric light, both combatants began to draw their breath hoarsely, and Tinker watching by the door felt his heart thumping like a sledgehammer. The minutes lengthened out, and still the fight went on. Now they were close to Tinker, now in the middle of the room again, now Blake was driving his adversary step by step back to the window.
For, calm, precise, and business-like, he had turned defence into attack gradually as he saw that Libnau's strength was weakening. He had no wish to kill the man, far from that. He had come to his mansion with a fixed purpose, and now he was waiting his opportunity to lunge as he had intended from the start. Feigning to get an opening, strong in parry or riposte, he had begun to dominate the German. The opportunity came; Libnau's guard failed him for an instant, and Blake lunged. Down went the general, and Blake sprang to the window and looked out. Then he swiftly bent over the wounded man.
"Open the window, Tinker! We must clear out at once!" he said. "General von Libnau, I bid you adieu, and I have no further quarrel with you. Your shoulder is injured, but assistance will soon be at hand! From this on you cannot baulk me; you will be in the doctor's hands for longer than I expect to be in Germany. I will be candid and tell you that I feared your interference more than that of any other man in this country, for I know that as an Intelligence Officer you are unrivalled. Get me a cushion, Tinker! General, let me raise your head and make you comfortable. Good-bye! You are a brave man acting under orders, and I forgive you the harsh things you said about me."
He sprang to the bell, and pulled the cord violently for some moments. Then he ran to the window which Tinker had thrown open.
"Make haste, my lad!" he urged. "The household is aroused! In ten seconds the general's men will be here!"
BLAKE sprang out of the window, and ran at full speed down the street. Turning the first corner with Tinker close at his heels he raced along, dived into another street, crossed it, and entered a laneway, and thence pushed on hurriedly till he came into the open country. Potsdam is a small city, and would be of no importance were it not for the Royal residence for which it caters principally.
"Sixteen miles to Berlin! And the authorities there will all be on the watch to catch us!" Blake gasped, as he sprinted along. "My lad, we must keep going. The chase has begun by this time."
They were running over level ground, with woods on either side, and after a swift glance to make certain of the right direction, Blake settled down into a long, swinging trot. Sometimes he entered one of the woods to throw off his pursuers in case they had observed him; sometimes he got on to the railway line and kept on the track till near a station; occasionally he sat down and rested with Tinker panting by his side; out on the road a quarter-of-a-mile away he once heard the swift clatter of horses' hoofs, and an hour later he knew from the din that troops had poured out from Berlin. When a mile from the city he saw in the break of dawn that a loaded waggon covered with tarpaulin was drawn up outside an inn. The driver was inside the inn, having his breakfast before his early start for the metropolis.
Blake quickly decided on his course of action. The risk was great, but he knew he could not possibly walk through the city gates on foot, and it was essential to his plans that he should spend some hours in the city. He jumped on to the road, hurried to the far side of the waggon so that those in the inn could not see him, and raised the tarpaulin. There were five large bales lying in the waggon. He and Tinker climbed into the waggon, drew the tarpaulin taut again, and waited.
Presently the waggoner's heavy footstep was heard. He mounted to his seat, cracked his whip, and the waggon jolted away. It came, after half-an-hour of great suspense on the part of Blake and Tinker, to the Brandenburg Gate, and entered the city unchallenged. Now the rattle of traffic arose gradually, the clang of tramcars began; the hoot of syrens split the air, as the humble toilers were summoned to their long day's work in manufactory and foundry; the insistent bang of hammers, the clash of iron and steel, the cracking of whips, the rattle of wheels, all told that they were entering the commercial quarter of the city. To these sounds were presently added the lowing of cattle and bleating of sheep, and Blake, peeping under the tarpaulin, saw that the waggon was slowly moving through the market-place. It stopped close to a high wall, whilst two score of young bullocks blocked the way. Blake jumped out on the side next the wall, and quickly stepped forward into the maze of struggling men and animals. Tinker, when he touched the ground, crawled under the waggon and came up on the far side. Here the bustle and excitement amongst the unmanageable animals was so great that the Britishers were able to hurry away unnoticed.
Blake crossed the market-place, and walked as swiftly as he dared risk without attracting attention. He knew Berlin as he knew Paris, and Vienna, and all the great cities of Europe. A dozen times at least he had plunged into its labyrinths to study there as in other countries the ways of the criminal and the condition of the poor. Now his topographical knowledge served him in good stead. He was making for a safe harbourage. All his plans were already cut and dry.
He turned down a respectable street, a quarter-of-a-mile from the market-place, and, presently, mounting three steps he knocked at the door. It was opened by a woman-—a Britisher! She gave a gasp of pleasure at once!
"Mr.-—!"
Blake gripped her arm.
"Not a word!" he whispered, "let us in quickly, Mrs. Smithwick! Take us to a room where we will be alone!" They were in the hall now, and Blake himself had closed the door. The woman had become scared. She ran up the stairs in silence, opened a door and stood to one side. Blake walked in, and beckoned her to follow.
"Have you any lodgers at present?" he asked.
"Yes, Mr. Blake! Two German gentlemen! Both go to business early."
"That's a good thing-—for us!" Blake said. "Mrs. Smithwick, we want to stop here till nightfall, and I rely on you to keep silence. We are in danger, but worse than that I have come to Germany on most particular business, and if we are caught the result will be disastrous. So-—"
"Ah, Mr. Blake! Don't you know you can trust me?" the good woman said earnestly. "Who is the best friend that I and my husband ever had? Who took us out of misery, and gave us a start in life again? We are comfortable now, for we have worked hard and been thrifty, and we've had some share of luck, but if it wasn't for the helping hand you gave us when my Joe's health failed him—-"
"Well! Well! We needn't talk about all that!" Blake interjected quickly. "I knew you would soon get up in the world if you got half a chance! And I'm delighted to hear that you are prospering now. But about myself and Tinker! Can we have this room for the day?"
"Of course you can, Mr. Blake. It's not in use at present. It and the back one go together, and the lodger left a week next Friday."
"Thanks! We'll stay here during the day then. And Mrs. Smithwick, don't mention my name on any account; don't even whisper it to your husband, for some one might possibly overhear you. Don't even say that Britishers are in the house. The police are scouring the city for us, and you know how different this country is from ours. Spies are everywhere here, and there's no real freedom. Tell your husband to come up to this room, and I'll warn him too. And get us some breakfast if you kindly will. We are both hungry."
She hurried down the stairs, and Tinker sank on to a chair. Blake crossed the room, and lit the fire. Presently a firm footstep was heard. The door was opened again, and a tall and well-made man, a fine type of the British mechanic, walked in. Blake nodded to him genially.
"Smithwick, I'm glad to see you," he began. "I see that this is a big surprise to you! Tinker and I are lying low-—you understand? Not a word to anyone! But you always had plenty of discretion, and it is hardly necessary to caution you. How do? I'm glad to see you looking in such fine fettle again."
They shook hands. The mechanic's face had shown signs of his complete amazement, as Blake, turning from lighting the fire, had gazed at him. Now he smiled.
"You're as safe with us, sir, as if you were in your own room in Baker Street," he said. "Oh, dear! The sight of you gives me a longing for dear old London again, but I mustn't grumble, for I've work here, anyhow, though the hours are longer than at home and the pay is not so good. Still, we can keep going, and the wife is doing very well with the house. Is there as much unemployment as ever in the old country, sir?"
"Things are much the same! Many of our best craftsmen are leaving, more's the pity! You know your work well, and I'm not surprised that you find constant employment here. I told you that would be the way. Now Smithwick, you know the sort of man I am! I'm in Germany on detective business, and the authorities here are not over pleased, so I don't want to run up against them. We are leaving Berlin when it gets dark to-night, so you'll only be troubled with us for some hours. Yes, yes! You needn't tell me that you'll help me all you can; I'm sure of that, and-—"
"I'd be an ungrateful cur if I didn't stand by you through thick and thin," Smithwick said earnestly. "Stay on with us as long as you think well, sir! No one will bother you! We'll see to that. And if there's any way that I can help-—"
"I'm coming to that," Blake replied. "Have you been about Germany at all?"
"I was up and down the country a good bit before I got the job I'm on now," the British mechanic replied. "They work these things on a good system here, sir; and there's a method about it we might do well to copy at home. When I landed I gave in my name, and they have labour offices in every town. If things are booming in one place, and they want more hands they wire to a town where trade is slack, and men are sent on from there. In that way a fellow hasn't to stand round waiting for a job close to his door. I've gone from place to place, according as men were wanted, and the Government has the management of the labour offices under its own officials, and it keeps records and statistics, and the officials can tell at a moment's notice bow many men are idle in one town and how many are needed in another. The Government gives a chap his railway ticket and the address of the works he's wanted at, and next morning he takes off his coat and starts at the bench. Yes, I've been to a good few places, north, south, east, and west!"
Blake had been thinking hard whilst Smithwick was talking.
"Do you know a place called Starmold?" he asked.
"Whereabouts is that, sir?"
"In the north-east of Germany. Not far from Bromberg."
"I know Bromberg," Smithwick said quickly. "I did a three months' job there once. Things were booming all round the neighbourhood, too. The iron and steel trade is strong in that region. And the building trade was brisk, an' no mistake! Twenty miles from Bromberg they were running up a new town, an' a big one. They just finished the railway to it as I was leaving Bromberg, an' folks could talk of nothing else."
"Why was that?"
"Because no one could see the reason for building a town right out in the wilderness, so to say; and because there was such secrecy about it all. You couldn't get within three miles of it unless you had a pass, and two regiments were quartered there. They built the barracks first. And all the workmen-—and there must have been fifteen thousand of 'em—-were not allowed to leave the place. They had to stay on there until the work was done, and they used to be taken along from other parts of the country in special trains."
"And what company went to all this expense?"
"That was the puzzle! The Bromberg papers said that Kappa, the great steel magnates, were opening new works there, and in a way that might have been true, for some of their biggest men were in Bromberg often. I used to see them myself. But the Socialist chaps always insisted that they were Government works, and that the country would have to pay for them, and they wanted to know what it all meant. That's eighteen months ago now, the town ought to be in full swing by this time."
"And what is the name of the town?"
"That I don't know. It hadn't been given a name then."
"Then I can tell you. Starmold is the name. And it is to get into that town that I have crossed to Germany. Ah, here comes breakfast! Wake up, Tinker! You can have a snooze later on."
THE clocks in the city were tolling out the midday hour, when Tinker, after a hearty breakfast and a sound sleep, opened his eyes and looked around. Blake, sitting before the fire, was smoking his pipe gravely. The lad jumped off the sofa.
"I feel tons better!" Tinker cried. "How long have I been dozing, sir?"
"About five hours," Blake replied. "I've had forty winks myself in the chair here and a tub afterwards. The bath-room is on the next landing, my lad. Cut along whilst these Germans are out of the house. You've got a funny way of dozing, let me remark. You've been snoring most of the time."
Tinker laughed and ran upstairs, whilst Blake smoked on. When the lad entered the room later on the great detective had a map in his hands and was studying it attentively.
"And now what's to be the next move?" Tinker inquired cheerily. "I feel fit to take on anything. I guess I won't want any sleep for a couple of days more."
"That's fortunate, as it's quite possible that you won't get the chance of having any," Blake replied drily. "It's a good run from here to Bromberg, and we'll have to do it by motor. I can drive at night once we are out of Berlin, but you'll have to take the wheel if we don't get there by daybreak."
"And how are we to get the motor?"
"Oh, Smithwick will arrange that for us; and he's just the man to know if the machinery is all right! A breakdown might be very serious. He had to go back to his work after breakfast, but he'll have time to do some jobs for me before we'll have to start. Midnight will be time enough to leave. Bromberg is about one hundred and fifty miles from here, but we'll be stopped often on the way. Still, we ought to get in there in nice time, if we're not detained too long. It's on the river Brahe, near the Vistula, I see. Humph!"
He was still studying the map.
"It will be a bad job for us if we are stopped, won't it?" Tinker asked. "They'll know we're Britishers; that's a dead cert!"
Blake put the map in his pocket and lay back comfortably.
"There are two ways, and only two of fighting one's enemies in a case like this," he said slowly. "One is to act on the defensive all the time, and that is the instinct of a man when the hue and cry is raised. The other way is to attack. The Germans naturally will believe that we are trying to avoid them; that we will be perpetually in hiding; that we will sneak about, in fact. They will, therefore, look for us in obscure places. They will suspect everyone down at heel and reticent in manner. Now, if I take exactly the opposite course, I throw them off the scent, provided that I go through on those lines without faltering, no matter what predicament I may be in."
"You ain't likely to get flabbergasted, sir!" Tinker grinned.
"Any man can be suddenly taken aback, and show momentary hesitation, Tinker," Blake said gravely. "It never does to feel too confident. Now, to continue, there is a greater risk in one way on the lines I propose to work, but the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. I mean to make a big splash; to stand out in the glare of public observation, to carry things off with a high hand. If I have forty-eight hours in which to work before the bubble bursts, I ought, with luck, to know all that's going on in Starmold."
"But you will be recognised for certain!" Tinker urged.
"I don't think so. In the first place my German is not at all bad, and outside Berlin there are very many dialects. I will speak about Ratibor, and lead people to think that I hail from the Austrian border. Very few round Bromberg have ever been so far south, I'm certain."
"But your clothes! Your face!"
"Oh, I'm not going dressed as I am!" Blake explained.
Bless my life, lad, you didn't think I could be as silly as that, did you? I'm a German officer on special duty of a confidential nature from Potsdam! Smithwick is to get me the uniform, and you are to dress as my chauffeur."
"That's a good idea, sir!" Tinker assented heartily. "Then you are going to put up at the best hotels, and—"
"I'm going to imitate the German officer in every particular," Blake cut in. "I'm going to clank along the pavements and make the citizens old and young get out of my way. I'm going to browbeat the employees in the hotels as he does. I'll have the best room and the best table, and the best attention wherever I stop; in fact, I'll be a bully to everyone, which is the way the German officers behave to their own countrymen. They're not a very charming lot, Tinker; but they're easily imitated. That is the great point with us now."
"But if the German officers get talking to you, sir?"
"I'll see that they do!" Blake said almost fiercely. "And I'll have a good deal to say to them, too! I mean to stop at one or two places on the way and make no end of a row. Now, my lad, do you see my game? The whole official class in Germany is looking for me. Do you think it will occur to them that the fugitive whose life is at stake is playing such a bold card? Of course it won't!"
"It's colossal!" Tinker chuckled. "It's immense, that's what it is! Why, it's about the most audacious thing I ever heard of! But how will you explain away your presence up there? What's the business you're on? They're certain to ask you that."
"The business I'm on. I won't give them time to ask. I'll talk first. I'm supposed to be coming straight from Potsdam, remember, after a stormy interview with the Kaiser."
"You are!" Tinker gasped.
"Certainly! And I'll rag them pretty sharp, right away! The imperial and all powerful Kaiser is immensely annoyed with them! I'll explain he has sent me to make my own investigations, because he doesn't believe that they have been bestirring themselves enough."
"Why? What have they, neglected to do?"
"To catch Sexton Blake," the great detective said, bursting suddenly into a merry laugh. "That villain, Sexton Blake, has been heading for Starmold, and the Kaiser feels certain that he has got past them. He threatens them with the most dire consequences if the villain is not apprehended and laid by the heels. I'm going to hunt for him now, and they are to obey my orders by the Kaiser's command. That's the way I'll talk! And if time is on my side, I'll win."
He jumped up and began pacing the room rapidly. Tinker felt as if he had received a sudden smack in the face. This truly was the most stupendous scheme he had ever heard of. For genius and audacity it could not be surpassed. All Germany was looking for Blake. And Blake intended to join the Germans in the hunt for himself! Nay, more! He was going to lead them to order them about, to walk amongst them, rubbing shoulders with the very men who would give a year's pay for his capture. The plan would succeed. Tinker felt certain that it must. The fates were always on the side of the daring, and surely no fugitive had ever risen to more sublime heights of boldness!
"And when you get to Bromberg and talk them round, what then?" he asked.
"Ah I must act as my chances allow, though, of course, I have a scheme. in my head, if I find it's feasible. And if it fails, I have a second to fall back on," Blake explained. "Here comes Smithwick, hurrying down the street to his dinner. I'll give him my instructions now, and then we must wait till midnight."
"You don't know any of the German officers, I suppose?" Tinker asked.
"Only just a few amongst the Uhlans, and they are never sent to the outlying districts. But that reminds me! There is one danger. I have knocked General von Libnau out of the hunt, and I couldn't possibly have attempted this ruse if I hadn't done so, for he is quite the most wide-awake man in this country, and he would have seen through it. But he has two lieutenants, Walsee and Kotze, to whom you heard him talking in his library before we came from behind the screen."
"Yes."
"Those are picked men, Tinker. Libnau would not have them on his staff if they had not shown conspicuous intelligence and shrewdness. They are the danger. If I come up against them there will be trouble; or, if they hear of the stir that will be in Bromberg when I get there, they may guess that something is amiss. But I hear Smithwick mounting the stairs! Now to get what we want!"
It was close on midnight when a powerful motor-car in which Smithwick was seated alongside the driver from the garage rolled up to the door. Tinker walked down the steps dressed like a chauffeur, and looking one to the life.
"This is my lodger," Smithwick said. "Well, young fellow, do you think you're fit to handle this car?"
The German driver was looking keenly at the lad. The latter smiled disdainfully, walked round the car, and then nodded.
"It's not a bad one. I guess it will serve our turn," he muttered huskily in German. "But there will be trouble if anything goes wrong. My employer, Major Meingen, is a peppery officer. If any of the bolts are loose your people will hear about it. Get down; I must start at once. I'm due in Unter den Linden in five minutes' time."
Smithwick and the driver descended. Tinker took his seat, settled himself comfortably, and pulled the lever. He had had plenty of experience; few could handle a car better. He half-swung it round, then backed it till he got a clear way and shot off. When he turned out of the street the German bade Smithwick farewell and walked away. Ten minutes later Tinker came up the street from the opposite direction.
Blake clanked down the steps. His tall, athletic figure was set off to perfection in the costly tight-fitting uniform; his dark eyes were shining sternly under his burnished helmet, a big false moustache was turned up fiercely at either end. He stepped into the car and Smithwick closed the door.
"Good-bye, Smithwick!" Blake said. "You'll hear from us again before long, I hope! Thank you for managing everything so successfully. Now tell Tinker to start."
They moved swiftly from the quiet street through the business quarter of the city into the fashionable thoroughfares where the pavements were crowded, and hundreds of lights flashed from clubs and theatres, and the road rang with the clatter of traffic. Guiding the car swiftly and dexterously in and out of the moving vehicles, hooting the horn continually, Tinker ran it down to the city gate. Blake, leaning back on the cushions, gazed indolently on the sea of faces as they passed. They came to the gate, and Tinker slowed down purposely. The soldiers on guard there, seeing an officer in the car, sprang to attention, and Blake returned the salute with characteristic German contempt. Then they rolled out into the open country, Tinker set the motor throbbing, and the car jumped forward.
"The disguise will do," Blake murmured as he got into his heavy uniform-cloak. "Those fellows were taken in, and they had a good look at me. Now for a long journey and a great deal of excitement on the way. It looks as if the fates are in our favour. But who knows! The Kaiser is not easily shaken off. And by this time he must be frantic!"
OUT in the country, with the headlights swiftly carrying a trailing glare like a streak of silver across the darkness, the motor sped, humming musically; it flashed up hills, and shot with a whirl down inclines, and raced at tremendous speed along the level, through valleys and villages, leaving the German capital far behind. For an hour it tore along; and then Blake shouted:
"Slow down, Tinker!"
The lad obeyed.
Blake steeped in front, and grasped the wheel in his strong hands.
"It won't be long before we are in Küstrin, and I want to talk to you," he said. "There is a barracks there, and you are to make straight for it, hooting the horn all the time. Our arrival will create a big stir, and whilst I am in the barracks you are certain to be interrogated, as everyone will want to know why I have come. Don't say anything except that I started at a moment's notice."
"Yes, sir."
"I have no idea how long I will be in the barracks, or what will happen when I get there," Blake went on. "Don't be surprised at anything you see or hear. And don't leave the car on any account."
"All right," Tinker agreed.
They sped along. The broad, straight road lay before them, stretching out for miles; on either side were bleak plains, across which the wind moaned with a strength amounting at times almost to a shriek; the scene was dismal. A sense of gloom, which he could not shake off though he tried hard, came over Tinker. He looked occasionally at Blake.
The indomitable detective's face was set in an expression of grim resolve. And Tinker knew that, come what might, Blake would follow the plan he had mapped out to the bitter end.
They drew near the town, and Tinker took the wheel again. Over the cobbled stones, past the quaint, old-world houses, through the silent market-place the motor glided, Tinker sounding the horn.
A sentry was standing at a wide gate, and the lad turned the wheel so as to turn into the courtyard beyond. As the sentry saw Blake in military uniform he stood to attention, and the motor rolled into the courtyard, Tinker still tooting merrily. The guard turned out, and a sergeant hurried forward.
"Ha! What regiment is stationed here?" Blake demanded.
"The hundred-and-eighth regiment, mein officer!" the sergeant replied.
Blake alighted, and moved towards the barracks door, his sword clanking by his side.
"And the colonel's name?" he continued.
"Colonel von Gülich."
"Present Major Meingen's compliments to Colonel von Gülich, and tell him to come here at once!" Blake rapped out.
"But the colonel is in bed these three hours past!" the sergeant faltered.
"Do as I bid!" Blake insisted.
The sergeant saluted, and hurried away.
Blake walked into a corridor, and strode up and down. Presently he saw a burly man hurriedly descending the stairs. The latter's face was purple with rage.
"Major Meingen?" he shouted.
"Yes. I am Major Meingen."
"I am Colonel von Gülich, and I wish to know the reason of your insolent message to a superior officer!" Gülich went on wrathfully. "I give you a chance to explain before I place you under arrest!"
"You would do well to modify your tone," Blake replied coldly. "I am here from Potsdam on most urgent business, and I have reason to believe that you have already incurred his Majesty's serious displeasure."
"You come from his Majesty?" Gülich faltered.
"It may not be long before his Majesty does you the honour of calling here himself," Blake replied. "And should he deem it necessary to take that step, I do not envy you the result of his visit. You have heard already from Potsdam, I think? You have heard of this Britisher—-Sexton Blake?"
"Yes."
Blake gripped the hilt of his sword, and scowled.
"Then why have you not arrested him, mein colonel?" he thundered. "That is the question I ask now, and before long his Majesty will ask the same."
The colonel's ruddy face grew pale.
"Has Sexton Blake come this way?" he gasped.
"Yes. Nor is he far from here at the present moment. I have been close to him ever since leaving Potsdam! Hark ye, Colonel von Gülich, this is a serious matter for you," Blake continued firmly. "This Britisher has been in Küstrin; I know that for a fact. And when I arrive here, I find you in bed, and the regiment in barracks! Is that the way you obey his Majesty's commands?"
"Mein major, you would not report against me to his Majesty?" Gülich stammered. "I have done my best! All day I have had the town under supervision. At present
a company of my men is posted on the road five miles beyond the town to stop all travellers! What more could I do?"
"You know our Royal master well enough to judge for yourself if this statement will satisfy him!" Blake replied drily. "He wants the Britisher arrested. He rewards success, and punishes failure; he cares nothing for excuses. But enough!" he continued, shrugging his shoulders. "Conduct me to a room where we can speak in quiet."
Gülich flung open a door, and Blake strode into an office. The colonel hurriedly lit the gas, and Blake sank down on a chair.
"Now, Colonel von Gülich, I will speak plainly," he began; "and I tell you that I do not envy you your predicament. As a brother-officer, however, I am willing to help you; for we know his Majesty's moods, and, for instance, whilst to-day his Majesty may be thinking a great deal of me, to-morrow he may treat me with severity. I will not report your carelessness to him. But before I can advise you I must have full information. Have you even acted within the letter of your instructions? What exactly were you told to do about this Sexton Blake?"
"I was warned that he would try, in all probability, to get to Bromberg, and from thence to Starmold; and I was to be held liable if he passed through this town."
"And what were your instructions in case you caught him?"
A cruel smile crept into Gülich's face.
"The same as yours, major!" he replied.
"Quite so!" Blake said, nodding his head in assent. "Well, colonel, if the Britisher has passed here and is now on his way to Bromberg, you cannot do anything to stop him! My advice to you, therefore, is to patrol the road between here and Berlin without a moment's delay. We know the Kaiser! We know that often he leaves his palace in the dead of night, and travels long distances to make. sure that his soldiers are attending to their duties. Were he to come here and find you in bed, his displeasure would be terrible. Call out your men, and send them from the barracks! Then, at least, it will look as if you have been doing your best to apprehend the Britisher."
Gülich jumped to his feet.
"Thank you for the suggestion, major!" he cried: "I will do that at once."
"One moment!" Blake intervened. "You have a telephone yonder, I see! Who is the colonel commanding at Bromberg?"
"Colonel Stephan."
"Then inform Colonel Stephan that I am here, and hurrying on to Bromberg," Blake went on coolly. "Tell him to expect me there in a few hours' time, and to have an escort ready to conduct me to Starmold. Tell him also to make such arrangements at once as will allow me to be admitted into Starmold as soon as I arrive. We are all brother-officers, mein colonel, and I do not wish that Colonel Stephan should get into trouble."
Gülich rang up the barracks at Bromberg, and began speaking eagerly, whilst Blake, watching and listening, had difficulty in keeping from a burst of laughter.
"Is that Colonel Stephan?" Gülich began. "I'm Colonel Gülich, commanding at Küstrin! Anything wrong? Rather! Major Meingen is here from Potsdam! He is going on to you! He has come direct from the Kaiser, who may follow on at any moment! It's all about this Britisher Sexton Blake! Major Meingen wants you to have an escort ready to take him at once to Starmold, and to tell them there to expect him. Oh, yes, Meingen is a very good fellow. He's helping me out of the pickle; and he says he'll help you, too. All right! I'll tell him so."
He wheeled round, and looked at Blake.
"Colonel Stephan says he'll do everything he can to assist you, major," he explained. "And now I'll order out the regiment."
Before I go, you'd better give me an order to the captain of the company you have stationed between here and Bromberg," Blake said. "The captain might delay me without it! And time is everything in this business!"
"Certainly! I'll write it at once!" Gülich assented.
And once more Blake could hardly keep from laughing.
As he clattered out into the square a few minutes later the bugle was sounding, lights were springing forth in every window of the huge barracks, the soldiers were hurrying into their uniforms.
Blake stepped into the car. Tinker pulled the lever, and they glided swiftly across the square.
When in the street again Tinker spoke.
How did you get on?" he asked eagerly.
"Splendidly!" Blake replied. "The colonel here is sending his men to patrol the road over which we have just come; so this regiment will be out of our way, anyhow. Also, he telephoned to Bromberg; and they are expecting me there, and they are making arrangements so that I will be admitted at once to Starmold. If I get three hours in Starmold, I will have all the information that the British Admiralty needs."
"That looks all right!" Tinker replied. "We may know all we want before to-morrow evening! But there's just one thing, sir. You remember you told me not to answer any questions I was asked?"
"Yes! Has anyone been interrogating you?" Blake inquired quickly.
"A chap walked into the barrack-square whilst I was waiting for you, and he wasn't a soldier—-leastways, he wasn't dressed like one," Tinker said gravely. "He took a long look at me; and then he walked all round the motor, and then he spoke. He asked if I had come from Berlin, and what the roads were like."
"What answer did you give?"
"I said my employer was an officer and that he was on special duty, and that if he didn't clear out sharp I'd call the guard."
"Good! That was the best you could have said. What did he do then?"
"He kept staring at me, and he grinned in a way I didn't like. Then he walked out of the barracks again."
"A spy!" Blake said. "And he may be a dangerous one, too! However, we can't help that; we must only hurry along the faster. Let the motor go at top speed, my lad."
They shot out of the town and along the bleak roads again. Before long, in answer to a shout ahead, Tinker slowed down, and saw that a file of soldiers was drawn across the road. Others were lolling, half asleep, along the banks on either side.
"Who goes there?" a voice called.
"Major Meingen on special duty!" Blake rapped out.
"Halt, Major Meingen, and produce your authority!" the voice cried back.
Tinker stopped the car as an officer stepped forward, and Blake held out the letter written by Colonel Gülich.
"From your commanding-officer!" he said curtly.
The officer read the letter, stepped back, and saluted.
"A pleasant journey, Major Meingen!" he said courteously. "I'm sorry to have been compelled to stop you; but we must obey one's directions, as you know!"
"Quite so, mein captain!" Blake replied haughtily. "It would have gone ill with you if I had found that you were not alert! Chauffeur, drive on!"
THEY were past danger now until they arrived at Bromberg, and Tinker's hopes ran high. He was shaking with laughter.
"Seems to me, sir, we're going to pull this deal off straight away," he said, as the motor rushed at full speed over the wide, flat road, reeling off mile after mile every couple of minutes. "Once we get inside Starmold we'll have no trouble, I bet; these chaps will show you everything. You've taken them in fine!"
"Ah, we may be running into a trap at this very moment when success seems so near," Blake replied gravely. "Don't forget that the telegraph and the telephone are against us, my lad. Any moment a message may come to Bromberg which will put Colonel Stephan on the alert. But certainly luck has favoured us so far. Let us hope it may stick to us to the end."
"Don't know that there's been so much luck about it," Tinker dissented. "It's your brains, I guess, as we have to thank. You thought out a big idea, and you're playing it for all it's worth. You have a nerve, an' no mistake! What other man would try to fool the whole German army as you are doing?"
Blake did not reply. He had closed his eyes. Perhaps he was sleeping; perhaps he was thinking. Seeing that, at any rate, he did not wish to pursue the conversation further, Tinker kept silence, and occupied himself solely in attending to the car. The farther they went the more bleak the country became; the towns and villages they passed were scattered at wider intervals; vegetation seemed to be less attended to, and the land seemed of poorer quality; great marshy stretches alternated with miles of rough hills and crags; certainly it was a locality in which secrecy could be well maintained. From the busy cities of Germany few would travel in the hope of business or employment to this barren neighbourhood; visitors from other countries were not likely to wander into such an ugly and inhospitable region.
Hours slipped away, and at last the country lying ahead gave evidence of more prosperity. The fields were better farmed; the villages seemed more prosperous; presently the motor was running between high hedges, and the road was as good as could be wished. Then, as they turned a corner, Tinker saw some steeples and manufacturing chimneys standing against the sky-line. He glanced at Blake, and saw that he had opened his eyes.
"Is that Bromberg yonder?" the lad asked.
"Yes. There is no other town of that size between it and Küstrin;" Blake replied. "In twenty minutes more we'll know our fate."
They ran by the side of the River Brahe for three miles, and then entered the outskirts of the town. It was built quite on the lines of all German cities, with regular streets, houses of uniform shape and size, and with a large fort dominating the whole. Tinker kept to the main street, driving the motor up a slight incline, and soon the barracks came into view. Besides the sentry three officers were standing at the gate. He stopped the car, and his heart began thumping with excitement; but he hid his feelings, and stared straight ahead.
The three officers moved together to the car. They saluted Blake at the same time, and he raised his fingers to his helmet.
"Major Meingen?" one asked.
"Yes. And your name, mein officer?" Blake replied.
"Captain Wehner, at your service, major. Colonel Stephan bade us escort you to him on your arrival. He is waiting for you."
Blake alighted, and the three officers got around him. He walked thus into the barracks, and on the way they did not make even one remark. Their greeting had been cold; their manner now was reticent; he began to wonder if news had come already by wire or telephone, and if he was a suspect. They marched him up a flight of stone steps, along a corridor, and into a large room. There a score of officers were grouped. All saluted him courteously, and amongst the group the commanding-officer was easily recognisable. He was grey-haired, past middle age, and domineering in his manner. But to Blake his tone was different.
"Welcome to Bromberg, Major Moingen," he began. "I am pleased to meet you. So you have just come from Potsdam-—eh? I hope his Majesty is in the best of health?"
"His Majesty's health is excellent, but there is much to try his temper just at present, mein colonel," Blake replied gravely, determined to find out at the outset whether a hint of suspicion had preceded him. "But I dare say you have heard from Potsdam within the last few hours, and, if so, you will understand why he is upset."
The officers looked at one another, and Blake was quick to notice their glances.
"We have not heard much," Stephan replied guardedly. "Has anything happened there beyond the fact of this Britisher's arrival, to upset the Kaiser?"
"A good deal; but I ant not at liberty to speak of all that concerns our Imperial master," Blake replied. "You know, though, of course, that General von Libnau was attacked and wounded in his own house?"
"General von Libnau was attacked!" Stephan gasped, whilst all the officers pressed around Blake.
"Yes. News does not travel fast to Bromberg if you have not heard that!" Blake replied. "And as both Walsee and Kotze are his two special officers, and as they must look after the Intelligence Department during his illness, neither of them could come here."
"You know Walsee and Kotze?"
"Of course! I saw them only a few nights ago."
Again the officers exchanged glances, and now their manner towards Blake began to show some cordiality. Then there was some suspicion concerning him! These men were prudent. They had had time for consideration during the hours that had passed since Gülich had telephoned to Stephan; they realised the great responsibility that lay upon them if they allowed anyone into Starmold without full authority; they had made up their minds to make certain that this unknown officer was as he represented himself to be; they had left their beds and met together to scrutinise the stranger carefully, and to sound him in every way consistent with courtesy, in case it should turn out that he was high in the Kaiser's favour.
Blake saw all this now, and to him everything depended on immediate action. The success of his plan, the safety of Britain hung in the balance. This was the crucial moment. Delay would be fatal. He must make a bold bid for victory whilst the chance remained.
"So, as Walsee and Kotze have had to remain at Potsdam, I have been sent here post haste instead," he said, with a yawn. "And, truth to tell, I am very tired, for I have travelled fast and long, and I shall be glad when I am able to take a rest. With your permission, therefore, colonel, I'll start at once for Starmold. Have you the escort ready?"
Stephan fidgeted uneasily. He was not quite satisfied yet. And one of the older officers nodded and frowned.
"Perhaps you would like some supper before going on to Starmold, major?" he suggested. "We lead a dull life in this bleak town, and we would be glad of the news from Court."
"On my way back I will certainly stop and avail myself of your hospitality if circumstances permit," Blake replied politely. "But I must discharge my duty first. I am afraid that this Britisher has got the better of you, Colonel Stephan. I hope my fears are ill-founded; but I have every reason for speaking as I do. And if he is in Starmold?"
"In Starmold!"
"Yes. He is heading there, and he means to get in if he possibly can. He wants to find out all that is going on there. If he succeeds in that, all our labour will go for nothing. The British Admiralty will know of our plans in a few hours; the British Press will proclaim our intrigues to the world; the British nation will force the Government, even against its will, to build Dreadnoughts and guns far outnumbering those we have in preparation; our chances of defeating the British Navy and landing an army in England will have gone for ever, and we will be humiliated in the dust. Think of that! And all because one man, called Sexton Blake, has got past Bromberg and into Starmold!"
"Yes, yes! But even if he has get in, he has still to got out!" one of the other officers said doggedly. "They are searching for him in Starmold now, mein major. As soon as we heard from Colonel Gülich, we telephoned there, and they began a thorough examination of the yards."
This was bad news to Blake, but he did not show his disappointment by as much as a flicker of an eyelid. Instead, he nodded approvingly.
"I am glad to hear that!" he said heartily. "But if this Britisher could get in without being seen, is it not quite likely that he may be able to escape, too? May I ask if anyone in Starmold knows his appearance?"
"Not that I am aware of," Stephan replied. "But still, he is a Britisher, and all Britishers are much alike."
Blake made a gesture of despair.
"Ah, you do not know him!" he gasped.
"Do you know him, mein major?" Stephan asked eagerly.
"I know him very well indeed," Blake replied. "And the Kaiser is aware of the fact that I know him. And-—"
"And it is because you know him that the Kaiser has sent you here!" Stephan interjected. "I understand all now!"
"Then we had better start off at once," Blake said. "We have wasted valuable minutes already."
"But the Kaiser has given you a letter of authorisation, surely, mein major?" one of the other officers suggested doggedly.
Blake turned on the man. This was the question that he had feared. Nothing but sublime audacity could help him now.
"I regard that question as an impertinence, sir!" he said, whilst his eyes flashed. "And it shows, too, how extraordinarily unacquainted you are with the ways of diplomacy and the methods of our Royal master! You are only an officer in a garrison regiment, and you are likely to remain so, if you do not sharpen your wits. His Majesty has not given me any written authorisation! Is it likely he would put to paper a matter of such vital importance as this? Suppose such a document got into the wrong hands-—eh? The consequences would be disastrous to the Fatherland. Colonel Stephan, I do not envy you the intelligence of this officer!"
He had spoken with scorn. Now a murmur of indignation ran around the room. Blake, far from quavering, went even a step farther.
He beckoned haughtily towards Stephan.
"Colonel Stephan, conduct me to the telephone!" he said. "I will ring up the Kaiser; I will have him out of his bed; I will tell him that his instructions to me are doubted; I will complain that you are delaying me in the discharge of my duty! Be quick, please, and conduct me to the telephone! If this matter is to go wrong, I am determined that I shall not be held to blame!"
He stamped across the room towards the door. The officers flocked after him; dismay was on every face. Stephan gripped him by the arm.
"Major Meingen, I pray you listen to me!" he gasped. "Do not take this step! His Majesty would never forgive us, if he was aroused owing to our fault. Captain Grote, call out the escort! All is ready for your departure, mein major. In half an hour you will be in Starmold. We meant no offence; but, as you understand, we must be careful. Pray forgive us. We will escort you to the gates, and I will telephone to Starmold, telling your friend, Captain Lucard, that you will be with him shortly."
IT was well that Blake's face was turned towards the door as Stephan concluded, for he was unable for a moment to conceal his dismay. The colonel had mentioned a certain Captain Lucard! This Captain Lucard knew an officer named Major Meingen! And Lucard was at Starmold waiting to identify Meingen! He would see at a glance that Blake was not the Major Meingen he purported to be! Blake would be arrested and flung at once into a dungeon, and his project would be ruined when on the threshold of success.
This was a heavy blow. One, too, that he could not possibly have guarded against. For he had been forced to take the name of some German officer, and had selected Meingen's haphazard. In every barracks was a copy of the army list. If he had taken a name that was not in the list, anyone consulting it, would have known at once that he was an impostor.
Now he continued walking towards the door. He did not dare to turn his head; for the instant his agitation would have betrayed him. But as he grasped the door-handle his voice was strong and steady, and there was also a note of gladness in his utterance.
"Lucard is at Starmold!" he cried. "This is good news indeed, mein colonel! Is he at the barracks, or at the building-yard?"
"He is at the barracks, I expect, mein major."
"Capital! Telephone to him to wait there, will you? It would never do if we missed one another; we are such excellent friends, as you know."
He went down the stairs with seeming light-heartedness, and strode to the motor surrounded by the officers. A mounted escort, commanded by a young subaltern, was trotting across the square from the stables, and as Blake took his seat the troopers closed in around the car. Waving his hand in adieu, Blake lay back on the cushions, and the car started, the horses clattering on either side. The brilliant cavalcade flashed out on to the street, and took a road up a hill out of the town and into the open country.
Tinker was wondering what had happened. He had seen Blake's face, and from close friendship with the great detective he had learned to know his moods. Something had gone amiss. Of that he felt sure, but he was unable to ask any questions. It was his business to play the part of a chauffeur; to speak to Blake would have upset all. And Blake, as the motor dashed on towards Starmold, drawing him nearer every instant to the toils out of which he could not escape seemingly, was cudgeling his brains in a supreme effort to conquer Fate. He saw the town ahead; every moment its spires and buildings were growing clearer in the light of the breaking dawn. In ten minutes he would be a prisoner, unless in the interval he took some decisive step. They were on the outskirts of the town now. He did not know the moment when the barracks might come in sight; at all costs he must avoid this man, Captain Lucard.
"Halt!" he thundered.
Tinker at once applied the brake. The car stopped, the troopers pulled in their chargers, and the subaltern riding by the car looked down inquiringly at Blake.
"I would be glad if you would do me a favour, mein friend," Blake said.
"I shall be happy to oblige you, Major Meingen," the young subaltern replied.
"Then ride to the barracks and tell Captain Lucard I will call there on my way back," Blake explained. "The escort can come on with me. I am late at the building-yard as it is."
My orders were to go with you first to the barracks, Major Meingen," the subaltern said quickly.
"You will take your orders now from me. I am the senior officer!" Blake replied curtly.
"But the escort is under my command," the other urged.
"Then take the escort with you!" Blake rapped out. "I have no wish for it, though what his Majesty will say when I tell him of the slight that has been put upon me is a serious matter for you. Disobey my orders at your peril. I am going direct to the yard, and—-yes, you had better tell Captain Lucard from me that I'd be glad if he'd come down there at once and meet me at the gate. Now go!"
The young subaltern, his face scarlet with anger and confusion, saluted, and called to the troopers to follow. They clattered after him at a fast gallop, and Blake bent forward and spoke to Tinker in a tense whisper.
"Drive on, Tinker," he urged. "It's touch and go with us. Make for the yard as fast as you can."
Tinker pulled the lever, and the motor jumped forward. The soldiers had ridden up a road to the right; the lad dashed along the main street. At the end was a rough, new-made road, and Blake shouted to him to take it. The car swung along for half a mile, and then they saw the high wall bounding the yard, and the giant chimneys erected inside. They were out of the town.
"Jump down, Tinker, and begin to examine the car as if something has gone wrong," Blake said. "Make a big fuss. Look sharp!"
Tinker did as directed, whilst Blake sat in the car. Presently there came to their ears the sharp clatter of horse hoofs from behind, and Blake jumped out of the car. They were at a bend in the road; no one was in sight. Blake drew close to the wall.
An officer swiftly turned the corner, saw the motor in the way, and pulled with all his strength on the reins to avoid an accident. As the horse slipped back on its haunches Blake sprang forward. Grasping the officer, he dragged him off the horse and pinned him to the ground. Forcing his handkerchief into his mouth, he bound his arms with his belt, and Tinker, running to Blake's assistance, tied his legs firmly with a piece of rope. The man was helpless in less than a minute.
"Carry him to the motor," Blake directed hoarsely. They almost ran with their burden to the car, and dropped him in.
"Jump in and drive away, my lad," Blake urged. "It's the only chance we've got."
"Where am I to go?" Tinker urged.
"Miles from here; anywhere you like," Blake replied. "Don't stop for anyone; you must take all risks. When you get to a lonely spot sixty or seventy miles away drop him in a wood where he won't be found in a hurry; then come back, and I hope we'll be ready to make a bolt for the coast on your return."
"But where will you be? Where am I to look for you?" Tinker persisted.
"Those are questions I can't quite answer," Blake replied. "Stay, though! I will be in hiding, of course, and when I get out of the yard I will follow the road you are taking now, and I will be not farther than five miles from here. I will keep on the watch for you. Now get on your way."
Tinker jumped to his seat and drove off rapidly. Blake watched the car until it had turned a corner a full mile away; then, taking off his helmet, he mopped his face.
"That was a tight squeeze!" he murmured. "But I got out of it all right. Now to get into the yard!"
He walked on swiftly by the side of the wall, and presently came to a large gate. Inside he could hear the din of hammers, the clash of steel, the rumble of machinery, the pulsating of engines. He rang a bell sharply, and a small gate was at once opened. Beyond was a courtyard, and a score of soldiers were seated on benches. The porter, seeing Blake's uniform, at once adopted a deferential manner, but still held the gate firmly, so that Blake could not pass through.
"Your business, mein officer?" he asked.
"I am Major Meingen, on special duty from his Majesty, and I am expected here," Blake replied. "Conduct me to the officer of the guard."
"I must obtain his authority even to do that. Will you kindly wait?" he asked. And he closed the gate, leaving Blake still on the road.
Several minutes passed whilst Blake waited outside. His thoughts were of a conflicting nature. In spite of all obstacles, he had got to Starmold; only a wall separated him from the great secret. A few hours within the yard, and he would know all! And everything now pointed to success. But why this delay? The authorities in the yard had been duly notified of his visit. They believed that he was coming there by the express command of the Kaiser. Yet they kept him waiting.
The gate was opened again. The porter was smiling.
"This way, Major Meingen!" he said politely. "Yes, you were quite right. The officer of the guard awaits you."
Blake stepped through the gateway. He was in the yard at last! Away across the sea a group of officials in Whitehall were anxiously debating his fate. Britishers in London and Manchester and Birmingham and all the other great cities in the United Kingdom were hurrying about their business, in ignorance of the great danger he was running, or of the tremendous consequences success or failure meant to them. He had risked his life. Now he was to obtain the reward.
The soldiers in the courtyard rose, and saluted as Blake strode past them. He was conducted to a building, up a flight of stairs, and into a large room, looking out on the acres of foundries and chimneys and engines. And there for a couple of minutes he was left alone.
He stood looking out of the window. Presently the door was flung open, and a tall, powerful man in the uniform of a German officer strode in. He had a face of exceptional strength and daring. His eyes were dark, his complexion was swarthy, bushy eyebrows and raven black hair gave him almost a sinister appearance. He was as tall as Blake, and heavier by a couple of stone. He crossed over to Blake and held out his hand.
"You are Major Meingen?" he said.
"Yes," Blake replied.
The officer stared at him narrowly.
"We have been expecting you, Major Meingen," he went on. "We heard of you at Küstrin and afterwards at Bromberg. And I understand that it is by his Majesty's orders that you are here?"
Blake nodded in assent.
"And now, major, what can we do for you? What do you wish to see?"
"Why, I want to make certain that a Britisher called Sexton Blake is not on these premises," Blake replied coolly. "He came to Germany a few days ago with—"
"With the intention of getting in here; we know about that," the other interjected. "Certainly he is not wanting in audacity, but I fancy somehow that he can't be quite as clever as some people believe."
"Why do you say that?" Blake asked.
"Because we have reason to think that he has made one big mistake."
Blake looked at the man, who was showing his white teeth in a smile that was far from pleasant.
"And what is the mistake he made?" he asked.
"He has adopted a German name, and he has not been very fortunate in the one he selected," the other replied.
"How do you know that?" Blake demanded.
The other quickly stepped back a pace, and laid his hand on the hilt of his sword.
"Because I am Captain Lucard!" he hissed. "And I know that you are not my friend, Major Meingen. We saw you overpower the officer on the road, and fling him into your motor-car. We were watching all from our observation tower. Hands up, Sexton Blake! You cannot escape!"
LUCARD'S hand was on his sword-hilt. Now he drew the blade, but the action lost him the chance he had. With one bound Blake was at his throat, whilst
the sabre shot from the scabbard. With one tremendous shove, and with a foot dexterously behind the German's heels, the powerful Britisher had sent him heavily to the floor. Dashing to the door, Blake flung it open. Two men were already on the landing; a dozen were mounting the stairs. Blake flung the two nearest to him to one side, and rushed up another flight. Bullets whistled by his head, but he turned the corner unscathed, mounted some more steps, and darted through an open doorway. And as he banged and locked the door men flung their weight against it.
But the door was made of steel, and they could not force it open. As Blake rushed to the window to look there for a means of escape he saw the reason for this. He was in a strong-room. A huge safe was in one corner; the walls were lined with steel cupboards. He flung the window open and looked out. To jump to the ground was only to court death, and even as he gazed around desperately sirens in half a dozen different quarters began to shriek out the alarm; out on the stairs he could hear stentorian shouts, and the clatter of feet. Before long the stairs would be packed with his enemies.
He shot a quick glance around the room. Those outside could not get into him, it was true. But he was trapped. It was only a question of time before hundreds, perhaps thousands, would have surrounded the building. The only chance of escape lay in some desperate bid for freedom whilst yet his pursuers were comparatively few. If he flung the door open he would be shot dead on the instant. How—-how could he escape?
Even in this perilous moment his marvellous ingenuity did not desert him. A small, round iron table was in the middle of the room, and at once he saw his chance. He raised it, rushed to the door, which he flung open, and at once a volley was discharged at him. But he was holding the table with both hands in front of his head and chest, and the bullets pattered off it. He sprang forward as the volley was delivered, hurled the table full at his assailants on the stairs, and ran down after it in his stride. The table struck those close to the door; with yells they fell backwards, crashing into those behind. Blake burst his way through the mass of falling and staggering men. He got to the first landing; with two jumps he was down the next.
Swinging round the banisters, he reached the hall, and rushed headlong out into the yard. Darting behind a shed, he thus got for a moment out of sight of his pursuers, and three other sheds lay before him in a row. He ran to the middle one, sprang behind it, rushed to the one on the left, and darted in through a doorway. A workman was standing there at a bench. Blake banged and barred the door, whilst the man stared in amazement at what he took to be the extraordinary conduct of a German officer.
But as Blake wheeled round, the workman, looking at his set face and harried eyes, guessed that something serious was amiss. He seized an axe, and gave a shout of warning. Blake's hand was on his throat, and the shout was stifled, and the man fell, all in one moment. Outside, the sirens were still shrieking, hoarse cries were coming from all directions; the patter of feet along the flagged paths was increasing in volume.
"Lie still! You must change clothes with me. I am a desperate man!" Blake whispered. "Another cry, and it will be your last!"
"Who-—who—-What do you want?" the workman gasped.
"Off with you clothes—-quick!" Blake commanded. "If you delay and I am caught, I will have time at least to pay you out before I am shot! Obey without further question!"
The man did not need another threat to make him hurry. He undressed swiftly, and Blake flung him his uniform. In a minute the change had been effected, and Blake had transferred his money from the uniform to his new clothes. Then, seizing a rope, he bound the trembling workman swiftly, dragged him to a corner of the shed, covered him with shavings, and stopped to the door.
The immense yard was full of an agitated crowd. From furnace and boiler sheds, from steel and iron works, from every building in that huge stretch of manufacturing activity, the workmen in their thousands had poured out into the open air. The soldiers were running in all directions, searching for Blake, without method of any kind. Men were shouting hoarsely to one another, demanding explanations of the extraordinary uproar. Down one path hundreds rushed, only to come face to face with another crowd, vainly seeking for information. A thousand were packed together in one small open space; a hundred yards away there was not a human being. Then all would flock like a drove of sheep towards the gates, and seeing an officer running in the opposite direction, they would wheel round and follow him blindly. For the moment there was panic. But that was certain not to last.
Blake opened the door and looked out. Leaving it open, he went to the bench and began to plane some wood on which the workman he had overpowered had been engaged. Soldiers and workmen ran past; some glanced in through the doorway. A couple of men rushed in, looked around, and darted out. Flinging down the plane, he went after these, keeping close at their heels, as if following in the hunt. When they got near a crowd, he left them and joined it. But only for a moment.
He passed from throng to throng, always getting closer to the wall that surrounded the yard. He knew that all the gates were locked, that no one would be allowed to leave, that in a few minutes now a thousand men from the barracks would have arrived. Then a systematic search would begin; not a square yard would be left without close inspection. Right from the main entrance to the end of the immense building works the soldiers would move gradually. Every workman would be closely scrutinised and identified. It was impossible to hide in the works. He must got out somehow.
As he stood with a huge crowd half-way from the main entrance, he saw a shed close to the wall, and he sauntered towards it carelessly. Strolling behind the shed, he looked up at the wall. It was twelve feet high. He went into the shed, and picking up a plank he hurried round the corner with it. A shout arose. He knew that his action had been observed.
Placing the end of the plank a few feet from the wall, he dragged himself up it desperately. He heard the shouts turning into yells, he heard a wild rush behind; he knew that if the plank slipped his death was certain. He got to the top of the plank, and gripped the edge of the wall with both hands. Raising himself, he lay on his left elbow, lifted his body by the strength of his right arm, and got half-way across. Bricks and stones clattered against the wall; a missile struck him on the shoulder. He swung round and dropped to a pile of rubbish. And as he fell a hoarse yell from those who had sought to overtake him brought a squad of soldiers rushing with rifles in that direction.
He was in a field. A hundred yards away lay a wood, and, jumping up, he ran towards it. He did not once look behind whilst on the way. Rifles cracked behind, and bullets whistled past him, but he sprang into the wood unscathed, and shot one swift glance over his shoulder. Soldiers were dropping over the wall and following in pursuit. He got through the wood, forded a small river, rushed across another field, jumped down on to a road, ran along it for a quarter of a mile, and then took to the fields again. Nor did he stop to rest, though his chest was heaving till he felt as if must burst, until, standing at the top of a hill, he saw Starmold and the building-yard lying in the cup of a valley four miles below.
He lay down, sheltered by a mass of thistles, close to the roadside, to recover his exhausted strength. By this time every road was being patrolled; the news of his bold venture and his desperate escape had been flashed to Potsdam, and possibly to every corner of the Fatherland. He had made a splendid bid for victory, but of what use was that? He had failed. He was in a worse position now than before he started from Berlin. He would have to begin all over again. And he had been so near to success! That was the scalding thought.
"Lucard has been my undoing after all!" he murmured. "I made certain that the man riding post haste from the barracks to the building yard must be him. I had told that young subaltern to send Lucard along after me. The than man captured was evidently a messenger sent to warn Lucard, who from the first must have suspected that I was not his friend Meingen. But why should Lucard have had doubt on that head?"
He lay still, pondering out the puzzle.
"Ah, I know!" he said at last. "Lucard telephoned to Bromberg or Küstrin asking for a description of the Major Meingen who had passed through. He knew when he got the description that I was not Meingen. These Germans are no fools. They are thorough in everything they do. I was under suspicion shortly after I left Küstrin, and they let no come on, having made their own preparations to arrest me when I should enter the yard. Before I did that they could not have gone to extremes with me without danger of offending Great Britain. Now they could shoot me at sight, and the British Government could not enter a protest, for I have broken the international law. Well, I meant to do that from the start! And I'll break it again as soon as I get the chance!"
He stood up, and keeping on the inside of the hedge, he tramped by the side of the road farther away from Starmold. Looking continually through the hedge up and down the road as he went along, he hid when anyone came in sight. And thus he passed five hours of anxious suspense. Farmers in gigs rolled by occasionally, heavy carts lumbered along, sometimes a fashionable carriage rolled by, now and then he saw a pedestrian. But at last he noticed a motor shoot over the crest of a hill a mile away, and come down the incline at a terrific pace.
He watched it eagerly, and when it was only a hundred yards away he sprang out on to the road and raised his arm. The motor at once slowed down and came to a stop beside him. Tinker, flushed and excited, was at the wheel.
"What news have you, my lad?" he asked.
"I dumped that chap in a wood all right, in as bleak a spot as you'd like to see," Tinker explained hurriedly. "He's out of the running, anyhow. But I say, I've had no end of a time since then. I've been chased all over the place, and I've had to go out of my way half a dozen times to avoid being stopped. There are gendarmes in every village on the look-out for me. I'm certain of that, and a score of soldiers started to gallop after me six miles past, but I soon left them behind."
Blake looked up and down the road.
"Run the motor into yonder field. I'll open the gate for you," he said hurriedly. "They are closing around us. We must hide."
IT was luncheon hour at the Neues Palais at Potsdam, and the guests were seated at the Royal table. Ladies dressed in splendid raiment, but with faces pale and anxious, soldiers in uniforms so tight that they could hardly draw their breath, high officials in Court dress, all were sitting silently, whilst the Kaiser at the head of the table, talked rapidly and continually. None dared to speak; in the privacy of his home life, as in public, he was domineering, vain, and harsh. When he laughed, all at the table laughed too; when he spoke sadly, all pretended to be much affected; when he raised his voice and expounded any of his favourite ideas, all bent forward as if keenly interested. They were waiting for,the dreary meal to be over. Then behind his back they would have their laugh at him.
"Germany is the greatest country in the world, and I am the greatest monarch alive!" he was saying. "Before long I will be sole master of Europe, and, as you know, that has been the ambition of my life. There is but one foe I have to conquer, in order to succeed in this. Great Britain is that foe! She is surrounded by the sea, she owns all the great dominions I long for. India, which is the jewel of Asia, Australia a vast continent in itself, all of Africa that is worth having, and Canada, which is nearly as large as Europe! And how does she hold all these vast territories, the like of which no Empire ever had before? Solely by her battleships! If she lost her Navy, she would lose everything before a week was over."
The courtiers murmured their assent.
"And she is neglecting her Navy!" the Kaiser went on triumphantly. "What fools these Britishers are! They have much more money than we have, but they will not spend it! Was ever such folly before? I am now building two Dreadnoughts to every one of the Britishers'. In three or four years' time I will be able to meet them on equal terms. Then in one day—ay, even in a few hours, they may lose the battle, and with that they lose everything they have ever won."
"They are dull dogs!" an old courtier ventured to say.
The Kaiser nodded.
"I give them five years," he said, sipping his wine. "By that time I will be master of the seas. They could build against me now, two Dreadnoughts to every one that I lay down, and I would be powerless. But they won't, I'm sure. Some day the people will wake up to find that they have been betrayed. And we will reap the benefit."
The door opened. The Kaiser turned in his chair and glared haughtily at the intruder who thus unbidden had ventured into his presence. An officer was standing on the threshold. He was pallid and weary; his uniform was plastered with mud; terror was in his eyes. The ladies stifled their screams, the men pushed back their chairs and jumped to their feet; the Kaiser arose and spoke in a voice of passion.
"How dare you come here?" he thundered.
"Your Majesty, I have come without a moment's rest from Starmold," the officer gasped. "Sexton Blake got into the building-yard!"
The Kaiser staggered back and rested against the table. His eyes were glassy with horror. He clutched at his throat.
"Sexton Blake got into the building yard!" he repeated.
"Yes, your Majesty."
"Has he been caught?"
"No, your Majesty."
A great flush of wrath sprang into the Kaiser's face; the veins on his forehead stood out as if they would burst, his eyes flashed as if aflame.
"Is he in the yard still?" he shouted.
"No, your Majesty. He had not time to discover anything, but he got away in the most extraordinary fashion."
The Kaiser sat down.
"Then all is not lost yet," he said. "Only a minute ago I was saying that I could defeat the British. I forgot this man. He, single-handed, may save his country. A few days ago he was here; now he is in Starmold. My officers are not to be trusted. He can outwit them all!"
He sat silently for a few seconds. Then once again he burst into a furious passion.
"Speak, sir, and explain how this daring Britisher managed to get to Starmold!" he shouted.
"Your Majesty, he went there as a German officer!" the other faltered. "He came into Küstrin in a motor, and deceived the regiment stationed there. He then went on to Bromberg and did the same. The officers actually helped him, for he said he was on special duty from you."
"From me!" the Kaiser blazed out.
"Yes, your Majesty. When he got into the yard, Captain Lucard, who felt suspicious, went into the room where he was waiting, having posted his men on the stairs, and denounced him. Sexton Blake knocked the captain down, burst through the soldiers on the stairs, got out to the yard, forced a workman to change clothes climbed the wall, and got away, nor can they find where he has gone."
"That Britisher can do anything!" the Kaiser muttered. "I would I had one man like him in my dominions, and I could dispense with an army corps. He is as daring as he is clever. Something tells me that he will yet succeed."
Again he jumped up. All around the table were staring mutely at their Royal master. In these fits of passion none knew whom he might turn on, or how cruel might be the punishment he would inflict alike on the innocent and the guilty. There was not one there who did not wish to be away.
"What steps have been taken to find this Britisher, Sexton Blake?" he demanded.
"Everything that is possible is being attempted," the officer replied. "Ten thousand men are scouring the country for sixty miles on every side around Starmold. There is not a wood nor a ditch that has not been searched. They cannot discover any trace of him, and they have come to the conclusion that he has returned to Berlin, or, perhaps, hurried in fear out of the Fatherland."
The Kaiser laughed bitterly.
"Then they do not know him!" he said. "Sexton Blake never draws back; he never yields. When hardest pressed, he is most daring, when most quiet he is most dangerous. Perhaps at this moment he is in the yard again. Chamberlain, make immediate arrangements for my departure. I go to Starmold myself."
"You intend to search for this man, your Majesty?"
"I cannot leave the task to others; until I lay him by the heels, I will not know a moment's rest-—I will not be able to sleep. The future of my country is at stake; all my ambitions for which I have toiled during the last twenty years, may crumble away in a moment!" the Kaiser groaned. I am fighting but one man, and yet he is stronger than all my other enemies. He must not get in again to the building-yard; he must never discover our secrets. I would be the laughing-stock of the world if he did."
"But, your Majesty-—"
"Obey my orders without question," the Kaiser stormed, "unless you, too, want to be punished as I mean to punish those who should have stopped him in his journey, and who allowed themselves to be fooled. I go to Starmold because, it seems, I am the only man who can deal with this British interloper! I will find him! I take this matter into my own hands. This is the most crucial moment of my life, and I will show him, as I have shown you all, that no one dare oppose me with impunity."
Instantly the palace was in a turmoil. Men hurried in all directions; telegrams were despatched by the score; the telephone-bells began ringing continually; throughout the day the palace and Potsdam were in confusion. And as night fell, the Kaiser, grim and gloomy, stepped into a powerful motor and rolled away, followed by hundreds of has retinue. He reached Berlin, and there he soundly rated his military advisers, he went on to Küstrin, and there he terrified Colonel von Gülich; he dashed on to Bromberg, and left Colonel Stephan and his officers pale with fear; and as he arrived at Starmold, his chauffeur had to slow down, so thickly covered was the road by soldiers, both mounted and on foot. Dismounting at the gates of the building-yard, he strode to the offices out of which Blake had escaped so daringly, and demanded to see the authorities. They had been warned to expect his arrival; they came into the room trembling.
"General Ruker!" he thundered to the oldest in the group. "You are commander here! What is this about a Britisher called Sexton Blake? Has he been admitted to this arsenal, and have you allowed him to escape?"
"He did gain admittance, your Majesty," Ruker faltered. "And also he escaped; but he was unable to learn any of our secrets."
"You are certain of that?"
"Yes your Majesty."
"Where is he now?"
"I do not know," Ruker replied desperately. "We have scoured the country for him."
"Is it possible that he is in hiding in this yard?"
"No, your Majesty."
"You are dismissed your post, sir; return in disgrace to Berlin!" the Kaiser said curtly. "I am going to stay here and to take charge myself until this Britisher is caught. Where is the man who tried to apprehend Blake?"
Captain Lucard stepped forward and saluted.
"I am that officer, your Majesty," he said.
"Why did you let him escape?"
"He took me unawares, your Majesty," Lucard groaned. "I had heard that an officer named Major Meingen was coming here with despatches from you. I knew Major Meingen, so I hurried to meet him. When I entered this room, I saw a man purporting to be the major, and I knew that he was not my friend. I at once suspected treachery; I put my hand to my sword, but before I could get it from the scabbard, he had struck me, and I was on the ground. Then he dashed from the room and got away."
"And had you no assistance at hand?"
"I had, your Majesty. But he got through them. That Britisher is unlike all other men with whom I ever had dealings. He is full of resource. He got away by means so daring that human ingenuity could not have guarded against it!"
Pooh, sir!" the Kaiser scoffed. "Your brains could not succeed, nor the brains of my other officers, it seems. But I will show you all that the Kaiser is able to deal with any man alive. Had I been in your place, this meddlesome Britisher would now be in the lowest depths of my dungeons! Enough! Your explanation is unsatisfactory. You, too, are in disgrace! Sexton Blake must be captured at once! And I am the one to do it!"
As he concluded, he waved the officers from the room. Then, turning to his own retinue, he began to whisper rapidly.
DOWN a laneway in a narrow street in Starmold, Tinker was sitting dejectedly in a small room.
Outside in the street he could hear the laughter of children, gruff voices, and passing footsteps. He did not know the moment when someone might stop at the door, and a thunderous knocking might be followed by the rush of armed men bent on his capture and destruction. All through the day he had sat alone, without occupation of any sort, uneasy in mind, and wondering why Blake did not return. He raised his head as fingers tapped lightly on the window-pane. Hurrying to the door, he opened it, and Blake strode in.
"What news?" Tinker asked eagerly.
"Worse and worse, my lad," Blake replied gravely. "The Kaiser has come here, and they are searching from house to house. Before the night is out they will catch us if we don't clear off!"
"And where can we go?"
Blake shrugged his shoulders.
"It is more dangerous in the streets even than it is here," he said. "I must think out what we had better do. I have never been more baffled in all my life."
He began pacing up and down the room. Fatigue was in his face; his clothes were hanging a trifle loosely on his powerful frame; his eyes had a worried, hunted look; the terrible strain of the last few days had told on his strong constitution.But disappointment was the blow under which he was suffering most. He had been so near to triumph, only to be baulked when victory seemed within his grasp.
"Caged in!" he murmured, as Tinker watched him wistfully. "Surrounded by millions of enemies! With a price upon my head, and thousands of watchers in the arsenal into which I must enter! How am I to carry out my project?' Yet do it I will-—somehow!"
His face became terribly stern. His eyes now flashed with grim resolve. He stood, erect, defiant, and gazed out into the darkness beyond. Then once again he paced the room. Presently he stopped.
"We must leave this house, Tinker," he said.
"For some other hiding-place?" Tinker suggested.
"No. We must clear out of Starmold altogether."
"Great Scott! What do you mean, sir?"
"We are wasting our time here," Blake replied gloomily. "We are within a mile of the building-yard, and we might as well be five hundred miles away for all the good we have done by coming here. But I have made up my mind to a desperate venture. I stake all now upon that, for I have a feeling that I will be caught."
Tinker's face went a trifle pale. Blake had never spoken in that strain before. The lad looked at the man who had been his friend through life-—the only friend he had ever had. He knew what capture must mean! Was Blake then going to give up his life for the sake of his country? Had the worst come? Was this to be the end? His voice was a trifle shaky as he spoke.
"I don't know quite what you mean, sir," he said.
Blake spoke, quickly, interrogatively.
"You got into the Neues Palais the night the Kaiser held his diplomatic reception?" he began. "You dressed up in the uniform of a page, and you managed to reach the Kaiser's private study? But you were not able to get hold of any of his papers?"
Tinker nodded.
"I had to clear off just as I had forced the lock of the chest of drawers," he replied. "I had no time to look through the papers. People were coming upstairs."
"Yes, I know. But still the experience was useful," Blake remarked thoughtfully. And he began to walk up and down again.
For a couple of minutes there was silence. Then Blake spoke again.
"We must get back to Potsdam," he said. "As the Kaiser is here, there will be less discipline in the palace. I don't know that he has done so wisely in coming here, after all. You know the way to his study now, and once you get inside the palace, you will be able to push on more quickly, and there will be fewer people about to hinder your movements. Yes! That is the only way I can checkmate him now! Come along! We must clear out of this!"
He walked to the window, and looked out. The street was quiet. Opening the hall door, he turned to the left, after a swift glance to either side, and hurried away, followed by Tinker. At the end of the lane was a high wall, over which they climbed, and dropped into a small plot of ground covered with debris on the far side. They crossed to another wall, which they scaled, and came out on to a road leading into the open country. At the opposite side was a plantation into which they dived. And when there, Blake stopped and listened intently.
The air was still. Starmold had settled down for the night. The military had probably begun their house to house investigation now that all had retired to rest. When certain that no spies were near, Blake took to the road, and hurried along, often stopping to listen. They came, after an hour's hard walking, to a field, into which they entered, and, crossing it, they reached a gully at the far end. Blake began to pull several large brambles away, and there, hidden from sight, lay the motor. They pulled it out of the gully, and pushed it silently across the field. Blake jumped on to the driver's seat, Tinker set the engine throbbing, jumped up beside the great detective, and they shot away.
They ran first towards the Russian border, then towards Posen. Leaving it to the left, they came down south towards Guben, turned towards the north-east, and headed for Potsdam, and made straight for the town. All through the night they travelled, stopping occasionally whilst Tinker replenished the tank from the petrol cans, and then travelling at full speed again.
It was close to daybreak when they got near the end of their journey. They hid the motor in a wood, and started on foot for the town; and when day broke they entered an old ruin perched on a small hill, and prepared to pass the day there.
After a leisurely breakfast out of the hamper of provisions with which they had stocked the car, Blake bade Tinker lie down and sleep, and, lighting his pipe, the daring detective sat on guard, watching to make sure that they would not be molested.
In eight hours he called Tinker, they had another meal, and Blake, exhausted both in mind and body, stretched himself and closed his eyes. He fell into a heavy slumber, and when Tinker awoke him in four hours, as he had been directed, the sun was slowly sinking. Blake sprang to his feet, alert and full of vigour. This short rest had done all he needed. He was fit to face hardship and privation for another thirty-six hours if necessary.
"We won't leave here till it is dark, so we have time for more grub, my lad," he said, with a cheeriness that Tinker had not seen in him since he had been baffled in his bold attempt to discover the German secrets in the building-yard at Starmold. "Go down to the stream yonder, and get water for the kettle. Let us take a square meal whilst we have the chance."
Tinker hurried away. Those few bright words had raised his spirits wonderfully. All through the long, weary journey the night before he had felt thoroughly miserable. He could stand hard knocks as well as anyone, and never knew what discouragement meant as long as Blake was sanguine, so complete was his confidence in the genius and boldness of the friend he almost worshipped.
But Blake had spoken so gloomily, for him; he had dropped such a serious hint that the lad's mind had become full of a strange, tragic foreboding. Now Blake seemed more cheerful. Tinker felt certain that during the day he had thrashed out and weighed all difficulties, and felt that success might still come his way.
He tramped back with the kettle of water, almost feeling inclined to whistle from lightness of heart, gathered some twigs, lit a fire, and bustled round in search of provisions. When the meal was over, Blake bade him pack everything, explaining that they would carry the hamper back to the motor.
"All has gone well so far, anyhow," he remarked. "We managed to get here without being observed, I think, and that was the first necessary step; and we've had a good rest, and are fit for work again. Now Tinker, you have to do your part of the work. I am afraid I cannot help you there very much."
"I'm to dodge into the palace again, sir?"
"Yes. And you must get to the Kaiser's study, and when there you must look through his papers."
"What am I to look for?"
"Ah, you will find plenty there to suit our purpose," Blake explained. "The most confidential papers in the German Empire are in his study. The Kaiser is an autocrat, and keeps many affairs of State to himself; and some of these papers would be interesting reading, I'm sure. That's why I want you to get hold of them. Now, how do you think we can best arrange for you to get in? You know the back of the palace where the employees go in and out?"
"I've been thinking out that," Tinker said, "and I dare say I'll manage all right. Last time, when I went there as that page Groeth, I had a chat with some of the lackeys. There's so many of them there that they are falling over one another, and they think nothing of seeing a new face, for they're always being sacked. The Kaiser half starves them, and treats them as if they were monkeys more than men. He never flings a word at them except to give them an order, just as if they were dogs. No chap with any spirit could put up with it. Some of them were growling to me and telling me all this, and explaining the sort of time I might expect to have, and, of course, I kept my ears wide open, and picked up what tips I could. I know a couple of these lackeys' names, and a bit about them, too. If they haven't got the push, I'll manage all right, I'll reckon."
"How?"
"Well, I'll dodge round to the back of the palace where the outdoor employees get their black bread and lard when their day's work is done. That's the only grub the Kaiser gives them. Nice, ain't it? But that's a fact, for they told me so, and I saw them eating it. And make out that I'm a relation of one of these lackeys, and edge my way through the crowd that way. When I get to the door I must take my chance when it comes, and slip in. If I get as far as the top of the first stairs, I'll be safe enough. There are a lot of places from that on where I can hide. I took stock of them when I was there before."
"That was smart of you, as usual, and this idea is a good one," Blake agreed. "There's danger in it, of course; but then there's risk in everything in a job like this, and the bold course often is the safest at the end. All right, my lad. I'll go with you as far as is prudent, and you may be sure I won't be far away if you need assistance. Drop the hamper into the motor. We'll sit down here till darkness has fully come. Then we must hope for luck."
BY the dim lights in the courtyard Tinker saw a group of women and girls in calico dresses and with shawls over their heads standing close to the palace door. They were tired after their hard day's work, hungry, and silent. Porters and chasseurs in braided uniforms passed in and out. By the courtyard gate children were standing waiting for their relations; an air of depression was on every face. The lad sauntered forward with outward indifference, but his heart was thumping like a sledgehammer. He walked to where a man in livery was standing eyeing the crowd scornfully.
"Good-evening! Is Hugo Fiescher on duty?" he asked.
The man twirled his moustache contemptuously.
"Who are you?" he demanded.
"I'm his cousin," Tinker replied coolly. "I've got a message to give him, and I want to be off home as soon as I can."
"I saw him some time ago," the other replied. "I dare say he'll be this way before long. But you don't suggest, do you, that I should go and look for him?"
"No, sir," Tinker replied meekly, "I haven't that impudence, and it's good of you to speak to me at all. I suppose I must go without seeing him."
He sighed as he spoke. The braided lackey twirled his moustache again, and then suddenly shouted to a couple of lads to get out of the courtyard. As they did not move, he strode fiercely towards them, and Tinker slipped closer to the doorway. Just then another lackey was hurrying down the passage, and Tinker stepped to one side. He had recognised the man. It was the one he had been asking for—Hugo Fiescher!
As Fiescher walked out into the courtyard, Tinker knew that he had no time left for indecision. He must act at once, and take all risks. He dashed into the passage, ran to the stairs, climbed it swiftly, and peeped round the corner. No one was in sight. Running along the corridor, he stepped behind a large piece of tapestry close to a door. As all seemed quiet, he presently opened the door cautiously and looked in. The room was empty.
Tinker slipped in through the doorway, and, crossing the room, he listened at the far side. Voices were engaged in conversation. The lad crept behind a sofa, and waited.
For five minutes he stayed thus; then half a dozen courtiers came into the room where he was. They walked across it rapidly, and as they entered the corridor, Tinker went through the second doorway, and into the room where they had been. He opened the far door there, ran along a corridor, and mounted a flight of stairs. Now he was close to the Kaiser's suite of rooms. So far everything had gone as well as he could have wished.
His hand was on the door-handle of the Kaiser's dressing-room, when he heard a shout from the courtyard at the back. His disappearance there had been noticed. Probably Fiescher and the other lackey had met and spoken to one another. In that case, suspicion had been aroused. Tinker dashed into the dressing-room, crossed it, pulled open the door leading to the Kaiser's study, and made straight for the chest of drawers. He heard a stentorian voice shouting for the guard to turn out. He had not half a minute in which to get what he wanted.
Seizing a poker, he wrenched the door of the chest open, grabbed all the papers he could seize, and stuffed them into his pocket Then he rushed back the way he had come. By this time a commotion had arisen; a bugle was sounding the alarm; he could hear the tramping of feet and the clatter of bayonets on the flagged stones; people were hurrying towards him.
He dived behind a large pillar only just in time. Three men raced up the stairs, and ran into the room he had just left. In an instant he had locked the door on them, and instead of retreating by the courtyard at the back, he went up another flight of stairs, and made for the left side of the palace.
Flinging up a window, he looked out. For the moment the way there seemed clear if he could get down to the ground. A water-pipe was close to the window-sill, and at the risk of his life he caught on to it, and began to slide down. He was within twelve feet from the ground, when the staples holding the pipe to the wall gave way, and he fell, the pipe clattering with him.
He heard a yell of rage, and saw heads protruding from the windows above; and shouts, repeated with passionate eagerness, warned the guard that he had been discovered, and gave the hint as to the direction they should come. Bruised and shaken, he rushed towards a wall. Twice he tried to climb it, and each time he fell back. Soldiers with bayonets in their hands were coming at the double now. As Tinker, in a third despairing effort, tried to cling on to the top of the wall with his fingers again, a tall figure arose right before him on the far side, and steadied itself on the wall. He was clutched by the coat, hauled up, and almost thrown over the wall. As he tumbled on to a heap of rubbish, rifle-shots rang out, and Blake dropped next him.
"Down the lane, sharp!" Blake cried. "Those fellows will be on the top of the wall in a second!"
Tinker staggered to his feet, and ran down a winding lane hard on Blake's heels. Bullets splashed the stones around before he could get out of danger, but he just escaped.
Blake put his shoulder to a door, and burst it open. They rushed into an orchard, climbed out on the far side, and got into a square, and across this they ran, and so into a street, down which they hurried.
Turning a corner, they ran through a maze of small thoroughfares; nor did they stop running until they reached the country; and then Blake pressed on at a swift walk towards the spot where the motor was concealed.
"Were you able to reach the Kaiser's study?" he asked, drawing his breath sharply.
"I've got my pockets stuffed with papers!" Tinker gasped. "But I hadn't time to look at 'em, an' I don't know if they are of use!"
"You've been very quick, and I'm sure we've got what we want," Blake replied. "You're a regular brick, my lad! I guessed that you'd get into the palace, and I know where the Kaiser's rooms lay, so I got round in that direction, as I thought you'd have to bolt out that side. Now we must get away at once. Hark! Do you hear that? They are calling out the cavalry!"
All over the town bugles were ringing, and rockets were shooting up towards the sky. They broke into a run again, and dragged the motor out into the road; and as they sped away they heard the clatter of troops galloping fast behind. But in ten minutes they were miles away from Potsdam, and were rushing through the darkness swiftly.
Avoiding all towns and villages whenever possible, they travelled for a couple of hours, and then Blake stopped on a lonely road, and Tinker handed him the documents he had secured. Blake read them carefully.
"Splendid! We have information here of the greatest importance!" he chuckled from time to time.
"Do the papers tell anything about the arsenal at Starmold?" Tinker asked eagerly.
"No. We couldn't have expected such luck as that, you know. But the Kaiser would be very sorry if some of these documents fell into the hands of any of the great European Powers. German diplomacy has often puzzled the world, and these papers show the methods she employs. Now, we must push on again. We have a long way to go."
He started the motor and they dashed off once more. Tinker noticed that Blake was guiding the car by the stars, and presently he asked the direction they were taking.
"We're going to cross the border," Blake explained. "I'm travelling almost due east, and I hope to get to Belgium in thirty-six hours. We'll have to keep in hiding during the daytime, for the Kaiser has heard by now that we've got these documents, and all over the Fatherland the troops will be searching for us."
"Then you are not going back to Starmold?"
"Oh, yes, I am!" Blake replied.
"Then why are you going to Belgium, sir?"
"Because I want to put these papers where the Kaiser can't possibly get them," Blake laughed. "Then, despite all his power, I'll feel that I can meet him on equal terms."
Tinker whistled.
"That's a good game," he agreed. "It's only you who would have had the brains and daring to think it out and go through with it. But why go all the way to Belgium, sir? If you hid the papers anywhere here, he'd never be able to find them."
Blake smiled.
"You're forgetting one thing, my lad," he explained. "If he caught us, it wouldn't matter very much where we had hidden the papers, eh? As no one could find them no one could use them, and I don't suppose we'd ever have a chance of telling anyone where they were."
"But it will be the same if you hide them in Belgium?"
"I'm not going to hide them in Belgium."
"Then what's your plan, sir?"
"I'm going to see you safely across the border with them."
"And what's to happen then?" Tinker faltered.
"You're to wait till you hear from me. I'll have to go back to Starmold alone, my lad. There's no other way in which we can manage this business. I may be caught; in fact, I don't see how I can possibly avoid that. Of course, if I am arrested before I can make my investigations in the arsenal, then despite the fact that we have these papers, I'll have to yield. The British Government could not help me; I've broken the international law already, and I'm liable to be tried and sentenced by Germany. But if I do manage to find out what I'm seeking, and I may be able to do that, then the Kaiser will be in a fix."
"Even if he catches you first, couldn't you threaten to publish the information we've got now?"
"Yes, and in return the Kaiser would offer me my liberty if I promised not to divulge these secrets. But I would not have found out about the secret armaments at Starmold. I would have to leave Germany without discovering them. So all our efforts would have ended in failure."
"And I'm not to go back with you and share the danger any more?" Tinker said ruefully.
Blake looked at his young assistant.
"Your task won't be such a very easy one after we've parted," he said gravely. "Germany has spies in every country; don't forget that. We know there are many in England, for instance, and you're likely to find that there are plenty in Belgium too. You'll need to be very careful. If these papers are taken from you, then where will we stand?"
Tinker's face grew anxious.
"I know what you mean," he said hoarsely. "Your life depends upon the safe custody of these papers. That's what it comes to. All right. It's a big job I'm taking on this time-—the biggest I ever tackled. I don't now how I'll get through the time until I see you again."
"Do your best and don't worry," Blake said cheerily. "I have every confidence in your discretion. I'd sooner that you had the papers than anyone else I know. And now, my lad, you may as well have a snooze. There's no use meeting trouble half way."
THE Kaiser was dumbfounded!
A pile of telegrams lay on the table before him.
Messengers had been hurrying into his presence
continually for a couple of hours; he felt baffled,
flouted; his heart was seething with rage. News of Tinker's daring entrance into his palace at Potsdam, and of the capture of high official documents of a most incriminating nature, had been followed by the wildest rumours of Blake's presence in different parts of the Fatherland. Many of these latter were contradictory in their nature; of Tinker he could get no news whatever. Now that he had spoken so vain-gloriously and had taken the task of apprehending Blake on his own shoulders, the infuriated monarch felt at a loss what to do. The great British detective seemed able to defy him with impunity.
He knew one thing, however, to be certain. Blake had not left Germany. He would return to Starmold. He would attempt again and again to enter the arsenal, until he was overpowered and captured. And the Kaiser had laid his plans carefully, and only hoped that the daring Britisher would make the attempt soon, and thus put an end to the suspense which he felt was growing intolerable. But how was he to get back the documents that Tinker had taken? He had no trust in his officers by this time, and he felt that he must remain at Starmold to deal with Blake; he could not search for the lad himself.
There was a knock at the door, and he glanced at it with a scowl on his swarthy face.
"Come in!" he thundered.
A broad-shouldered, elderly officer, with grizzly hair and moustache entered the room and saluted. His face was pale, and bore evidence of illness; he walked with some difficulty. The Kaiser jumped to his feet, and his eyes had become bright and hopeful.
"General von Libnau!" he cried.
"At your Majesty's service!" the old general replied.
"You have recovered from the wound that scoundrel Sexton Blake inflicted on you when he attacked you at Potsdam?"
"I am feeling the effects of the wound still, your Majesty, and in point of fact I left my bed and made the journey hither against the advice of my doctors," Libnau replied. "But I could not rest; after all that has happened I felt I must hurry to your assistance. And, besides, I have a heavy debt to exact from that scoundrel of a Britisher on my own account, and I will know no peace of mind until it is repaid tenfold."
"Of all the men in my country, you are the only one on whom I can rely for help," the Kaiser said. "I need your advice, Libnau. I am much puzzled, and I have just been wondering how I could deal with both this Sexton Blake and his young assistant. You have heard, of course, what happened at the palace the other night?"
"Yes, your Majesty."
"Both the rascals have vanished. I can glean no tidings of them. You are the greatest intelligence-officer in my service. Do you feel strong enough to start to work again, and make the necessary investigations?"
"It is with that intention that I came here, sire," Libnau replied. "Your Majesty intends to stop in Starmold, I understand?"
"That is my intention. Sexton Blake will return here, Libnau; I feel certain of that."
"Without a doubt he will," the rough old general said wrathfully. "Only a sabre-point will stop him from mischief. I think your Majesty is wise to await his arrival, but I would warn you if I may."
"In what way, Libnau?"
"This,Britisher is full of wiles, your Majesty. He never acts as people expect. It is impossible to reckon on what he will do, he is so full of surprises."
The Kaiser smiled.
"You do not know the preparations I have made, my good Libnau, that is very evident," he said confidently. "For one thing, I have placed a guard night and day around the arsenal both inside and outside the walls. The men stand with loaded rifles in their hands only thirty yards from each other. At night patrols are continually moving about the works; in the daytime soldiers guard every building, and every workman has to be identified before he is permitted to enter or leave the yard. Their names are called over continually; they are escorted to and from the gates. How can any man get in without being seen under this arrangement?"
Libnau shook his head.
"This Britisher is full of wiles," he said again. "I do not know what he will attempt, but even these precautions will have no terror for him."
"He will make an attempt, but he cannot succeed," the Kaiser replied. "You can leave him to me, Libnau. It is about his assistant Tinker that I am most troubled now. True, he did not find the plans of the building-yard, but he got away from the palace with most important papers, and Blake can threaten to publish them to the world if I do not release him when captured."
"I trust your Majesty means to make short work of him when he is in your hands?" Libnau said harshly.
"I will not spare him unless I must," the Kaiser explained bitterly. "He deserves the fate of a spy. But you see the difficulty that I am in. Those papers must be recovered, Libnau, and you are the only man who can recover them. Now, if I could get them back and catch both Blake and this young rascal Tinker, then I could do with both scoundrels as I like."
"I can apprehend this young fellow Tinker," old Libnau said slowly.
"You know where he has gone?"
"Not for certain, but I believe that he is in Belgium."
"He has crossed the border?"
"So I think from what I have heard."
"Follow him, Libnau, follow him!" the Kaiser cried hoarsely. "If you bring him to me, I will make you a Count of the Fatherland!"
Libnau saluted and left the room. His eyes were shining. This was the honour for which he had worked all his life; now it seemed within his grasp. He hurried to the nearest telegraph-station and despatched a wire to Coblentz. Half an hour later he was travelling to the Belgian border by special train.
Meantime, Blake and Tinker had parted, and the lad was at Spa, a small town in Belgium close to the German frontier. He had taken lodgings in a farmhouse just outside the town, and there he was waiting in suspense for news from his friend and employer. Tinker did not know when exactly to expect any tidings. Before parting Blake had told him that he was to remain at Spa for ten days if necessary, and if at the end of that time he did not get a message, he was to hurry with the papers to London. The lad had demurred.
"That means that the Kaiser will have captured you?" he said when Blake gave him this order.
"It may mean that," Blake replied. "On the other hand it may only mean that I cannot risk sending you a wire."
"It wouldn't be like you to keep at large all that time and not be able to send me one; you'd find a way somehow," Tinker replied doggedly. "If the Kaiser does get hold of you, the world will never hear of you again. I don't like this business, sir. You're going into it alone, and that's rough on me after the way you've always allowed me to work with you."
"If you don't hold on to the papers, the Kaiser will certainly have me in his power," Blake said gravely. "If I took you with me, then my risk would be far greater. Can not you see that, my lad? Your work is here for my sake as well as for the cause of Britain."
Tinker frowned.
"Yes, that's true enough," he agreed. "Still, I don't like it at all, sir. I'll be hanging around here not knowing what's happening to you. I'll be miserable all the time. And how, in any case, do you mean to get to Starmold? We've left the motor behind us. We chucked it over a cliff."
"Because it's of no further use to us," Blake replied. "It has served our turn, and we might have been traced by it, if we hadn't destroyed it. I couldn't possibly go a second time to Starmold in a motor. I'd be held up before I had travelled a quarter of the way."
"Then, however will you get there?"
"I must avail myself of every chance on the road I'm going disguised as an ordinary German workman. Sometimes I suppose I'll have to tramp; sometimes I'll get a lift on a cart. It may be that occasionally I'll be able to do part of the journey by train. I may reach Starmold in three days, and I maybe much longer than that."
"And when you arrive there, how do you mean to get into the building-yard?"
"Ah, that is more than I can tell at the present moment!" Blake replied. "I must first see what new obstacles have been put in my way. I can tell you nothing about that, my lad, for, as yet, I don't know myself."
So they had parted, and Tinker restless, anxious, and more depressed than ever he had felt before, was killing time as be he could. He had selected the farmhouse as the most suitable hiding place, for it was perched on the top of a small hill looking down on wide pastures, with a clear uninterrupted view for miles on every side. The owner and his family were pleasant hard-working Belgians, not given to gossip, nor disposed to ask embarrassing questions; he had found them simple-minded, friendly, and good-natured. He had no reason to expect treachery from them; he could not be safer than in the spot he had selected.
And now, haying as was his custom, taken full stock of his surroundings, having explored the country and noted the best way in which he could escape if hard-pressed, and having acquainted himself with the appearance of all his immediate neighbours, he was strolling along the road leading to the town, wondering, as he did all day and almost all night, where Blake might be and how fortune was serving him, when suddenly turning a corner, he saw a couple of strong riding horses standing outside a wayside inn. They were secured by their bridles to posts; their ribs were heaving; they were covered with mud; and their riders were nowhere to be seen.
Tinker stopped and looked at them. Something in their appearance puzzled him; then he realised the reason. They were unlike the horses he had seen since he had crossed the border. Advancing cautiously he looked through a window into the inn parlour. Two men in riding gear were standing there, talking animatedly with the landlord. One was slight and young; the other was tall, burly and elderly. The latter's back was to the light, and Tinker felt a strange feeling of uneasiness as he looked at him. Presently the man turned slightly, and the lad crouched down against the wall. His heart now was thumping!
"Libnau!" he gasped. "He's come here! He's tracked me out! And he's the sharpest man in Germany! He means to have those papers if he can!"
HE had not time for thought!
From out of a thicket on the far side of the road a man sprang, and dashed towards him, uttering a loud shout. Tinker took to his heels, and Libnau and his companion rushed to the door. The lad jumped into a wood, and Libnau climbed into the saddle.
"No need to go after him, Hatzfeldt!" Libnau said, with a harsh, triumphant laugh. "Even if Schilling doesn't catch him, he can't escape. You can trust the first intelligence officer in Europe to have laid his plans thoroughly! I'll have him for certain before five hours are out!"
"Then what are you going to do now, general?" the other asked, as he too mounted hurriedly.
"We're going to close in around him," Libnau replied. "Our men are posted on all sides. Whichever way he heads he is certain to be turned back."
He set spurs to his horse as he spoke, and galloped through the village. As he rode along men stepped out from behind hedges and trees, and he spoke to each for a moment. Making a wide detour of fifteen miles, he met hundreds of his spies, who, by his orders, had crossed the frontier during the night, and who, dressed in civilian attire, and concealing themselves from observation, had not attracted the attention of the Belgian authorities. With consummate skill, Libnau had posted them in a wide circle around the town, and now moving together they began to close in. Meantime, Tinker, unconscious of this danger, was rapidly drawing away from the man who had started in pursuit.
He sprang out of a wood after running a couple of miles, and as he landed on the hard road, he heard a sharp whistle, and saw three men climbing out of the ditch on the far side. Much startled, he doubled back into the wood again and made off in a different direction. Half-an-hour later he was nearly, caught as he was running through a field. Then he realised that he was trapped! If only it had been night-time, he might have been able to creep unseen through the cordon of his enemies.
He ran back again, and exhausted, he lay on the ground for some minutes to rest and think out some desperate expedient by which he might hope to break away. But no mode of escape suggested itself. He must hide as long as he could, and trust to chance! That was all he could do! He got up, and made for the town of Spa again.
Libnau, like the strategist he was, returned to the inn close to the town, and there awaited the reports of his spies. According as Tinker was seen, men hurried to the inn to tell the German general that the lad had been headed back, and he gave his directions accordingly. The circle in which Tinker was hemmed, closed in gradually; at first it extended to a radius of four miles; by noon it was only a mile in diameter. Towards evening, the German spies had surrounded a fair-sized wood close to Spa. And Libnau knew that Tinker was concealed in the wood!
They began a thorough search. As darkness was falling they were standing in a circle only a yard apart from one another, and Libnau had joined them. They closed in more and more, yet Tinker could not be seen. Suddenly there was a shout! The lad had dropped from the branch of a tree close to one of the spies had jumped to his feet and was bolting away. But he had no chance of escape! His enemies spread out in all directions, and like a hunted hare, Tinker, turning and twisting, sought to dodge their outstretched hands. For five minutes he eluded capture! Then a blow fell on his head; and he staggered, reeled and fell.
He was half-dazed, but not stunned. Roughly dragged to his feet, he saw Libnau striding towards him. A savage grin was on the general's weather-beaten face. He pulled the lad's jacket open, and drew out a pile of documents. Examining them in silence, he chuckled occasionally, and presently he put them in his own pocket.
"The Kaiser's papers!" he said. "I've got them back! And now, my audacious young Britisher, you will have to face his Majesty! You know the fate that legally awaits you if he wishes! What explanation can you give?"
Tinker was silent. He had been gazing at the general anxiously, but now when he heard his gruff voice he stiffened his back, and looked coolly around at his captors.
"Answer my question!" Libnau rapped out.
"When the Kaiser speaks to me, I will have my answer ready," Tinker replied. "You are a very brave man, general, and you have done something of which you ought to be truly proud. It has taken a couple of hundred or more of you Germans to capture one Britisher! But there is another who has defied your whole Fatherland, and he will do so to the end."
Libnau's face grew purple with wrath.
"It is about him I want to speak!" he growled. "You are talking very big at present, my young friend, but your tune will change before long. We know that you are not directly concerned for all that has happened; you have only been carrying out the orders of your employer. You are very young, and I have no doubt the Kaiser will take that fact into consideration, when deciding what punishment you deserve. Where is this scoundrel, Sexton Blake?"
Tinker grinned.
"You have no reason to love him, for he showed himself a better man than you!" he replied boldly. "But you might be civil for all that! He's far from being a scoundrel, and you know that well!"
Libnau raised his hand as if about to strike the lad; but suddenly he curbed his temper.
"You are insolent!" he said. "But I let that pass! I bear you no grudge, and so I warn you that you had better not defy me any longer. If you are wise you will answer the questions I put to you, for you cannot hope to escape, and if you refuse to tell me what I want, your fate will be sealed. You will never see Britain again! At the best you can only hope for lifelong detention in a dungeon! Think of that! You are young, with all the years before you! Are you so foolish as to persist."
"What is it you want to know?" Tinker demanded.
"Where is Sexton Blake?"
"Well, that's easily answered!" the lad replied coolly. "I can't tell you. for I don't know myself."
"Has he gone back to Starmold?"
"What do you think?"
Tinker's eyes were twinkling, and Libnau smiled.
"I hope he has gone there!" the general said bitterly. "In that case he is certain to be caught. If he was still in this neighbourhood he might change his plans when he discovered that we had captured you. And I don't want him to go back to Britain until I have had a few minutes with him on my own account."
"I'm sure he'll be happy to oblige!" Tinker replied cheerfully. "But it seems to me, General Von Libnau; that you don't know the sort of man Sexton Blake really is. He's not the kind to desert a friend; we Britishers ain't built that way. If he knew that I was in your hands he'd never rest until he had rescued me. So—-"
"I don't intend he shall know that you have been captured until he is caught himself," Libnau rapped out with a harsh laugh. "If he knew I had you, he'd know that I have the Kaiser's papers too! He meant to play a very clever game about them! But that's all over now. As you won't give me any information at present, we'll cross at once back to Germany. Perhaps when I have you under lock and key for some days, you may change your mind. Bind him and put him on a horse. Let half a dozen of you come with me. The rest had better scatter and slip over the frontier the way they came."
Tinker was quickly strapped securely, and placed on horseback. It was dark by this time, and when passing the Belgian lines, he was gagged, and carried by two powerful men across a field between the outposts guarding the roads. His captors were well acquainted with every inch of the locality, and knew exactly where the sentries were stationed. Once on the German side, they hurried along for ten miles, until they reached a strong fortress. And when there, Libnau had him confined in a dungeon, and immediately despatched a telegram to the Kaiser.
As the heavy iron door closed on the lad, leaving him in darkness except for the light coming into the dungeon through a high window from the passage, he flung himself on a wooden couch. There he lay for several minutes without moving. At last he arose, and looked around his prison. His face was pallid, but a bright light was in his eyes.
"There's just a chance yet!" he muttered. "Libnau may not be quite so cute after all! If only he stays here for some time, and Mr. Blake does not hear that I've been caught, and doesn't bother to hunt for me, then everything may come right yet! But three days must pass before I can dare to hope! Three long weary days! And I can't escape! They've got me this time for a cert!"
ACROSS Germany from the Belgian frontier to the north-east, Blake went alone on his perilous journey. Dressed as a workman, and knowing the language, he managed to elude capture, though at times he could see that he was under suspicion.
For days at a stretch he tramped the roads; when chance offered, he took a seat on a waggon; occasionally he went sixty or seventy miles by train. At last, footsore and weary, he approached Starmold; and one evening, when dusk had fallen, he entered the town.
He was surprised to see the change that had come over the place since he had last been there. Soldiers were now picketed in every house; a couple of cavalry regiments were under canvas in the fields; the Kaiser had taken the largest building as his headquarters, and his whole staff had joined him from Potsdam. The tramp of feet, the call of bugles, all the bustle of military occupation had settled over that region. Starmold might have been under martial law, so rigorous was the Kaiser's despotism. Nor was it without reason.
Within the walls of the arsenal lay hidden the secrets by which Germany hoped Britain would be overthrown, and the world would lie at her feet to conquer. And already these secrets had nearly been made known to mankind. One slip, one chance mistake, and all her labours and all her gigantic expense might go for naught!
Blake smiled as he sauntered along unnoticed.
"The Kaiser is still ill at ease!" he murmured. "I had no idea when I left London that such important work was being done here. All these precautions make me only the more determined to find out what he is at! If I do succeed in getting over yonder wall again, I will even find more to interest me than I ever expected."
He walked along the streets, following close on the heels of a couple of mechanics. With them he passed through the town; and then he struck off alone, and skirted the arsenal.
He saw the soldiers standing with bayonets around the wall, he heard the babel of voices on the far side as the guard was being changed. After minute investigation, he came to the conclusion that he could not creep into the arsenal without being detected and caught.
In no way daunted, he turned his back upon the town, and climbed to the hill to which he had run when hotly pursued on that eventful day when he had played the part of a German officer. And when he had reached the top of the hill he sat down in the darkness, and squarely faced the appalling difficulties that confronted him.
At first sight the attempt seems hopeless; but there is a way out of everything," he murmured. "I must think this thing out. I must devise some counter-stroke. But whatever can I do?"
He sat, with face calm and thoughtful, now looking down on the great chimneys of the arsenal, now gazing up at the stars. Sometimes he arose and walked about; then, again, he would sink on the grass. Mechanically he drew his pipe from his pocket, filled it from his pouch, struck a match, and began to smoke.
Many ideas suggested themselves to him; and, before dismissing them as impracticable, he examined each from every point of view.
If he could attack and overcome one of the sentries, for instance! Could he not, then, get into the man's uniform, climb the wall, and walk about as one of the guard? No! He would be certain to fail. The sentries were too close together for that. Then why not creep into the headquarters of the Kaiser, seize him, and masquerade as the Emperor of Germany? A bold idea! But he didn't know how the Kaiser was guarded. Probably he would fail there, too. He must think out some plan that would be more hopeful of success.
The hours passed, and still he stayed on the hill. At last he jumped up suddenly, knocked the ashes out of his pipe against the heel of his boot, and chuckled softly.
"Chemistry!" he murmured. "What a blessed invention! The Kaiser has not guarded against that. I'll beat him yet. Great Scott! Why did I not think of this before?"
He glided off, and went down the hill away from Starmold. Next morning he was in a town ten miles distant, and working quietly in a small room he had engaged. The door was locked, a crucible was on the fire, phials of different sizes lay on the table, and a pungent smell hung in the air.
By eight o'clock he left the house, carrying a large bundle of clothes carefully, and he started back for Starmold.
It was late when he got there, and the town was wrapped in sleep. Except for the lamps in the streets, and the lights in the police-station and the fire brigade station, all was darkness.
Blake went down a laneway, and untied his bundle.
When he came into the street again he was dressed as a member of the fire brigade. He had bought the uniform that morning.
Hurrying away, he went along the road to the arsenal, and, having arrived within a hundred yards of the wall, at a spot where the side and roof of a large building stood high above it, he went down full length on the ground, and began to drag himself towards it.
Often in the past, in wild and distant countries, he had thus tracked down his enemies.
The sentries, standing against the wall, about thirty yards apart, gazed out across the plain, and did not see him. Unconscious of the impending danger, they stood leaning on their rifles; and every moment Blake drew nearer. In one hand he held a large metal ball.
Now he was only thirty yards away. He edged sideways, and made for a tree. Rising to his full height behind the tree, he waited and watched.
Moments passed. Then the sentry who could have seen him had he stepped to the right side of the tree turned his head and gazed the other way. In an instant Blake stepped out from his shelter. He raised his arm. The bomb hurtled over the wall. It struck the roof of the building!
A thunderous explosion broke forth. The building rocked, the chimneys fell, the roof was split in twain.
Shouts of startled terror arose within the arsenal; the sentries posted outside the wall ran to either side, not knowing the moment when a second explosion might occur; and Blake, turning, raced back for the town, unseen.
Half his work was over!
The terrific explosion had been heard and felt in Starmold. The windows in the town rattled; in wild alarm men, women, and children came trembling from their beds out into the streets. They saw a fireman racing to the station.
To the Kaiser's headquarters the shock had penetrated, and as the Kaiser jumped out of bed and dashed to the window, he saw the blanched faces of his subjects.
And at that instant a cry arose:
"Fire! Fire!"
He looked across the street. Away over the building-yard dense clouds of smoke were rising; as he stared in momentary panic great tongues of flame shot up towards the sky. A bell began to clang madly; rifle-shots, too, rang out a desperate warning; and hoarse shouts and wild shrieks created a pandemonium.
A squadron of cavalry came madly galloping from the arsenal, and reined up outside the Kaiser's house.
Dressing hurriedly, he ran from his room, down the stairs in the midst of his terrified courtiers.
The officer in command of the troops saluted.
"The arsenal is on fire, your Majesty!" he cried.
"How did it happen? Is there much danger?" the Kaiser shouted back.
"There was an explosion, your Majesty. And there are shells and bullets close to the burning building! If the flames reach there—"
"What caused the explosion?"
"We do not know. A light may have been left in the building, and-—"
"Are they taking steps to extinguish the fire?"
"They are doing their best; but the flames keep making headway. If your Majesty will come with us, I have a horse here ready."
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The fire-engine swung round the corner, the horses galloping, the firemen shouting. They dashed into the crowd on the street, and shouts of fear arose; men rushed to avoid the danger, the driver pulled on the reins, the horses swerved, the engine dashed on to the pavement. Half a dozen of the firemen tumbled to the ground, and for an instant it looked as if the engine would be smashed to pieces. But the men, much shaken, climbed back to their seats, all except one who lay unconscious. Yet, strange to say, the engine carried its full complement as it raced along the street again.
The Kaiser jumped into the saddle. Shouting to the fire-engine to follow, he galloped towards the arsenal at the head of the cavalry, and when he reached the gates he thundered to the porter to fling them wide apart.
The command was obeyed on the instant, and the fire-engine swung through the gateway; and dashed into the arsenal.
There the wildest commotion was prevailing. From all quarters the soldiers had rushed to the burning building. The officers were vainly struggling to get them into line, so that they might pass buckets of water; but all their efforts to restore discipline were ineffectual.
Following the Kaiser, the fire-engine dashed towards the doomed building, and the men jumped to the ground. Lines of hose were passed out; and before long a jet of water was playing on the flames still bursting through the roof.
But the danger was perilous in the extreme. Only thirty yards away was another great building full of explosives, and the wind was carrying sparks in all directions.
The Kaiser at once took command. All the troops were called to the spot; the rest of the huge building-yard lay in darkness. And, as the soldiers fought desperately with the flames, one of the firemen slipped away. That man was Sexton Blake!
His chance had come! He had worked hard for it, he had suffered tremendous hardships, he had dared the might of an empire. But now, undoubtedly, he had triumphed at last. By sheer force of will and genius he had gained his opportunity.
For hours the Kaiser and his soldiers would be struggling to prevent the conflagration growing greater. He could wander through the yard as he wished. He would meet no one on the way!
And the Kaiser all unconscious of the greater danger close at hand, flung his whole energies into the subjugation of the flames. It was not without difficulty that he had persuaded the German nation to spend its millions on the building of this gigantic arsenal. It was his wish, not theirs, that vast armaments the nation could ill afford should be created in order to attack a power that was seeking peace with all the world; his was the sinister mind that had plotted for a war which might plunge Europe in misery in order that he might gain greater glory. And now it seemed as if all his ignoble efforts were about to he destroyed.
For the moment he forgot Blake; he forgot all the precautions he had so lately taken to preserve the secrets of his meditated attack on Britain; half distraught, he was urging on his soldiery to more supreme efforts.
They toiled hard. But it seemed as if the wind itself was against them. It grew in strength, driving the sparks farther and farther; and the second building caught fire, too. At the risk of their lives they quenched the flames before an explosion could occur; but the sparks were carried on to the third building, and presently a fire sprang out there. They worked on without resting, and the Kaiser goaded them on to greater efforts still.
An hour passed thus. And Blake was forgotten by all!
DURING that hour Blake had been busy, and the discoveries he made were truly startling. There at Starmold he found more armaments, almost
completed, than Britain had made in the last three years. Guns and mountings for at least twenty Dreadnoughts were ready to be shipped to the coast. Others were in course of building. The sheds and vat foundries gave unmistakable evidence of the warlike intentions of the Kaiser. Not for self-defence had this vast yard been erected! Here were eighty-ton ingots, dozens of them, ready for the forging process. Farther on were four thousand-ton hydraulic presses for shaping gun-barrels. As he went through the yard he came upon several lathes for turning 12-inch gun-jackets. Half a dozen guns, completed on the outside, were lying in the powerful boring-machines; others were undergoing the process technically known as rifling, and in fire shrinkage-pits heated steel jackets were suspended from cranes, ready to be lowered over the cool gun-barrels. Two immense buildings were full of hydraulic turrets. There was enough machinery in the yard to equip a huge fleet within a couple of years!
He hurried on, observing all, and taking mental notes of everything he saw. And away at one end of the yard, black smoke continued to rise in volume, and flames flashed forth, and hoarse shouts continued without intermission. Seizing a bar of iron, he burst open doors, and entered building after building. He tramped along to the farthest ends of the arsenal, and the farther he went the more conclusive proof he obtained of the Kaiser's ambitious intentions. Reckless of his own safety, regardless of time, he pursued his investigations methodically and persistently.
Meanwhile, the Kaiser was urging on his soldiery. Two motor fire-engines had arrived from Bromberg, and hope of quenching the conflagration had come at last to the monarch's heart. And it was at this moment that he was startled in a most unexpected way. An officer, grimy with smoke, his fine uniform black and torn, ran to where the Kaiser stood, and held forth a piece of metal in his hand.
"Your Majesty, look at that?" he gasped.
"What is it?' the Kaiser demanded.
"Look at its shape!" the officer urged. "It is part of a bomb!"
The Kaiser stared intently at the soldier.
"There was an explosion before the building got on fire!" the latter went on hastily, "There has been foul play! This bomb has caused the explosion!"
Before the Kaiser could reply, the head of the Starmold fire brigade rushed forward and saluted.
"An amazing thing has happened, your Majesty," ho began. "We came here with our full complement of men on the fire-engine. Yet one of them has but just turned up now. He was left unconscious on the road when the engine ran on the pavement, he says. Someone dressed as a fireman must have mounted the engine in his place!"
"Impossible!" the Kaiser cried, utterly bewildered. "What nonsense you are talking! There must be some mistake!"
"There is no mistake, your Majesty. All my men agree with me that the full number was on the engine as we started again. There are three who counted, and they are positive that what they say is true. And now that the injured man has arrived, we have only the right number amongst us. One who does not belong to our brigade came into the yard on our engine, and has since disappeared!"
"Treachery, treachery!" the officer holding the piece of metal shouted. "The man who flung the bomb is the one who has been masquerading as a fireman!"
The Kaiser staggered back.
"Treachery!" he repeated, aghast. "Then all this is part of a plot! If what you say be true—"
He stopped. During this brief and eager conversation there had been the clatter of hoofs behind the agitated group, as a horseman was galloping from the arsenal gates to the burning buildings. Now he reined up by the monarch's side.
"Your Majesty!" he began.
"General von Libnau!"
"At your Majesty's service. I have arrested that young villain Tinker, and I have information of the highest importance to give you!"
The Kaiser seized the old general by the arm.
"Tinker!" he repeated bitterly. "The name reminds me of another one. Libnau, I have been beaten, after all! Look yonder at the havoc in this yard. Who has caused it, think you? The news I have just heard convinces me that it can be the work of only one man—-Sexton Blake!"
"Sexton Blake! Then he is here!" Libnau said.
"Yes; and masquerading as a fireman! You were right when you told me that even my troops could not keep him out of this yard. He set fire to that building with a bomb. In consternation we all hurried here, and I ordered the gates to be flung open, so that the fire-engine might enter to quench the flames."
"And then he slipped in?" Libnau suggested.
"No. I allowed him to enter; I led the way, and he followed!" he said bitterly. "He had made his plans with his usual cunning, and, having thrown the bomb, he mounted the engine dressed as a fireman, and came after me at my bidding!"
"And where is he now?" Libnau asked.
"We do not know. He has slipped away."
"Your Majesty, I have a heavy debt to exact from this Britisher!" Libnau said harshly. "You entrusted to me the task of apprehending his assistant, Tinker, and I have succeeded, as I felt sure I would. May mine now be the honour of seizing this villain, who has brought humiliation on you and on the Fatherland, and who has wounded me?"
"Can you catch him, Libnau? Where will you look for him?"
"Yes, I can catch him," he said. "Sexton Blake did not risk his life without a definite purpose. He came here resolved to fathom our secrets, and to take back full information to Britain. That is not an easy task; it takes time; the arsenal is immense. And as I came through the town I was told that you had started for here only an hour before. Where is Sexton Blake? He is still making his investigations in this yard. There is time still to prevent his escape."
"Then let us make the search at once!" the Kaiser cried hotly.
"No, no, your Majesty!" Libnau said doggedly. "Let us go on as if we knew or suspected nothing. Keep the men at this work. Do not search the yard. He got over the wall once, and he could do so again on the first hint of alarm."
"Libnau, as usual, you have shown wisdom and judgment," the Kaiser said gravely. "I leave the matter in your hands. Do what you think is best."
The old general saluted, and galloped away.
Another hour passed, and Blake was still busy. In every building into which he entered he found fresh proofs of the Kaiser's intrigue, and so he pressed on, his interest and indignation growing greater the more he pursued his inquiries. And now at last his search was over. He had discovered all. And all the time whilst thus engaged, the same hoarse shouts had continued unabated; the smoke had still rolled in dense volume to the sky; the flames had still fought for mastery.
Now the time had come for him to make his escape. He had not stayed a moment longer than was necessary to obtain the complete information he sought; he was not going to remain a moment longer than was necessary.
He stepped out of the last building of all in that vast arsenal into which he had entered, and looked around. Great, gloomy walls stood up on all sides; the ground was strewn with debris; there was no sign of life; except for the hoarse shouts in the distance he might have been in an empty waste. How was he to get out? He could not leave by the gates, for those on duty there would think it more than strange that a fireman should hurry away whilst the fire still raged. Were he to return to the engine he might be detected. No. The best plan was to scale the wall.
He entered a shed, and, pulling out a ladder, he carried it to the wall and mounted the rungs. No sooner did his head appear above the coping than bullets whistled by his ears. The wall was surrounded by soldiers three-file deep. Stealthily they had crept there by Libnau's orders. The old general's sagacity had served him once again. Blake was trapped! He descended the ladder with a rueful smile upon his face.
"They've got me!" he muttered. "But I have obtained the information I wanted. Now for the final tussle with the Kaiser! It will be a warm interchange of feeling, without a doubt. Good job I left Tinker at Spa. I wonder how his Majesty will look when I play my trump card!"
He strolled through the yard till he came to a bench, and there, sitting down, he coolly filled and lit his pipe. A couple of hours passed, and dawn was nigh before the shouts around the conflagration abated. The sky was still hidden in smoke, but the flames had been mastered. He heard the tramp of feet, and saw that the soldiers were moving down in a line in his direction.
On they came, slowly, steadily, searching everywhere as they advanced. They entered every building, and ransacked every hole and corner for the man who, they felt sure," was concealed in terror, hoping against hope. Sitting with one arm over the back of the seat, he watched them in quiet amusement.
Now they were only fifty yards distant, but so intent were they on their systematic search that they did not observe him. They were only ten yards away when one man gave a cry, and pointed to the seat. Instantly the whole guard ran forward and surrounded him. Blake remained seated, and continued smoking placidly.
A shout went up, and on the instant an impetuous figure, with haughty carriage, and a swarthy, domineering face, came hurrying in answer to the cry. It was the Kaiser, with wrath, triumph, and malice all struggling for the mastery. He strode through the circle of his troops, and advanced towards the seat, his hand on the hilt of his sword, and Blake still smoked his pipe, the burnished helmet of a fireman on his head, and his face calm and interested. The Kaiser stopped when a few paces away, and his lips parted in a malevolent smile.
"We meet again, Mr. Blake!" he said harshly.
"Yes, your Majesty, and after a most interesting battle of wits!" Blake replied. "May I congratulate you on the excellence of this arsenal? I have been through it all, and think it most complete for the purpose for which it was designed."
"The purpose you would have thwarted, if you could!" the Kaiser said icily. "But your investigations will never go further; they will never be carried to Britain. You are my prisoner now!"
"I am aware of that fact," Blake replied.
"What have you to say in your defence?"
Blake stood up and squared his shoulders. His eyes flashed, and his voice rang vibrant, as he answered.
"My defence is soon given," he said. "I am a Britisher. What I have done has been in defence of my country. My King has held out the hand of friendship to you, and you have grasped it. You have announced to all the world that your desire is to live at peace with all mankind. The world believed you. What was in your heart when you spoke thus? Treachery-—treachery to Britain!
"Why are you building these vast armaments? Why have you laid down seventeen slips each of a size on which a Dreadnought can be raised? Why are your Dreadnoughts different from Britain's? Ours carry sufficient coal to take them on long voyages. Yours are so fashioned that their coal-bunkers can only supply them for short journeys. What was your object in that? You dare to ask me for my defence! What is yours? Europe is waiting for your explanation!"
The Kaiser was trembling with fury.
"You speak thus to a monarch!" he thundered. "You forget what you owe to my rank! Here, in my own country, you, my prisoner, have the effrontery to insult me before my own subjects!"
Because I do not respect you!" Blake replied coldly. "I respect no man who plots mischief whilst he professes friendship. The high rank you hold is the more reason why honour should be sacred in your eyes."
"If you do not respect me, at least I will make you fear me!" the Kaiser replied, and his voice shook with passion. "See, the sun is rising! Before it sets, your insolent tongue will be silent for ever more! You thought you were strong enough to defy my whole nation, to wrest my secrets from me, You have now obtained the information you wanted, but at the cost of your life!"
"I'm not so sure of that," Blake replied quietly. "I would gladly give my life for my country, and when I left London and came here, I knew well the risks I was running. It is true that you have only to call on your troops to fire and my life will end. But would that help your Majesty? Would that ensure the secrecy you desire? You forgot that I have been to Potsdam in your absence!"
At first the Kaiser had shown traces of uneasiness as Blake was speaking, but as the bold detective concluded, a sarcastic smile crept over the monarch's face.
"Ah, you gained valuable information at Potsdam!" he said.
"I did. I found documents there that would make your Majesty's position very uncomfortable amongst the other Great Powers if their contents were published."
"I am aware of that," the Kaiser replied, and still the baleful smile was on his face. "But here comes General von Libnau. Perhaps he has something to say that will not be pleasant news for you."
Libnau was stamping across the yard. A malicious grin came to his rugged features as he recognised Blake. He saluted the Kaiser, and waited next him.
"General von Libnau, you and Mr. Blake have met before," the Kaiser began. "You have no reason to care particularly for him. Even now that he is my prisoner he defies me. Do you know of any reason why he would do well to crave for mercy?"
Libnau laughed.
"In truth, your Majesty, all he dare hope for would be your Royal clemency," he replied. "For myself, I would prefer death to lifelong imprisonment in a dungeon, and that is the most you could accord him with safety, now that he has learned our secrets. But he may be one of those who cling to life. Some men fear to die. As for the reason why he should seek your mercy—-well, it is quite evident, I think. He is in your power, and you have nothing to fear from him."
"And why do you say that, General von Libnau?" the Kaiser went on maliciously.
"Because I baulked his little game," Libnau chuckled. "I got back the papers that were taken from your palace at Potsdam. There they are!"
Blake started imperceptibly.
"And Tinker?" he asked, with an odd ring in his voice.
"He is in a dungeon," Libnau replied.
"You caught him without difficulty, I suppose?" Blake inquired.
"We had some trouble, but not very much."
"How long did he know you were chasing him before you laid hands on him?" Blake asked.
"Some hours? Not very many."
Blake gave a great gasp. Was it one of relief?
"That is all I wish to ask," he said.
The Kaiser beckoned to an officer.
"Conduct the prisoner to gaol!" he directed. "He dies at sunset! Thus only can Germany be avenged!"
"One moment before I am led away!" Blake demanded. "As you have sentenced me to death, there is one favour I would like to ask. May I see my assistant Tinker before your sentence is carried out?"
"You will see him when you stand before the firing-party," the Kaiser replied. "I give you the death of a soldier, for, despite the way you have intrigued, I recognise that you are a brave man."
"And you will be there?" Blake suggested.
The Kaiser frowned.
"Why do you ask that?" he inquired.
"Because I may have something to say to you alone," Blake replied. "I know Tinker well; yes, and I trust him, too. Your Majesty would do well to join the firing party. If you do not come, you may have reason to regret your absence for the rest of your life."
THE day dragged on whilst Blake sat in his dungeon. Outside he could hear the clatter of arms as the guard was changed; the laughter of children came floating on the breeze; the sunlight streaming in through the window crept along the stone floor, telling him that the hours were fleeing. He sat upon a rough couch, wondering about one thing only. For on that one thing his life hung like a sword suspended by a thread. His life! Yes, and the safety of his country. It was this last thought that made the suspense so hard.
Evening drew on, and a bustle arose in the corridor. He heard men clattering down the stairs, the voice of an officer inspecting his command, the call for bullets; then silence. Next a key was shot into the lock, and the heavy door was thrown open. A man walked in.
"It is time to leave," he said. "Please walk out."
Blake stood up, stretched himself, and strode into the passage. The soldiers were standing in two lines, and they closed around him.
"Quick march!"
They tramped away, with Blake in the centre, the tallest and most stalwart figure of the lot. Along the passage and through a gateway, up a flight of steps, and on by a broad path they marched, and presently they swung into a wide, grassy plateau. A shout, sinking quickly to a deep-throated murmur, arose as the procession appeared. Three sides of the square were lined ten deep with civilians; before them soldiers with fixed bayonets were placed at attention; in the centre of the plateau two score officers were standing; and at the far end of the plateau was a long high wall.
The firing-party marched towards the wall, Blake keeping step with them. His face was calm; he walked coolly and confidently, When twenty paces from the wall, the firing-party halted at the word of command. Blake stopped too, and looked at the group of officers. General von Libnau was of the group—-yes, and the Kaiser was in the centre. He was looking at Blake, and Blake looked at him.
It may have been that something in Blake's expression, something more than courage in the face of death, sent an uneasy feeling through the monarch's heart. He bent forward and whispered to Libnau, and the latter eyed the bold detective scrutinizingly. After a hurried consultation Libnau advanced alone.
"His Majesty has not forgotten his promise," he "said. "Your young British friend Tinker will be here in a moment."
Another shout, this time with a note of pity in it, rang forth, and Blake, turning his head, saw another procession advancing. Twenty soldiers, under the command of a subaltern had appeared from another side of the plateau, and Tinker was in the middle.
The escort came on, and halted close to Blake.
Libnau walked to the subaltern, and next moment Tinker stepped out from the escort. Blake advanced to meet him.
"Any news yet, sir?" Tinker asked eagerly. Blake noticed that, despite his brave front, the lad was trembling.
"No. What do you mean?"
Tinker bit his lip, and looked around the plateau with a hunted look in his eyes.
"Good heavens! If there's beers a mess of it!" he gasped. "If the chaps at the Admiralty are taking a holiday, or if Sir James Seyton is ill! Don't tell me the wire hasn't come!"
"What wire?"
"The one I asked to be sent before that old, spiteful idiot Libnau nabbed me," Tinker groaned.
"Ah! Then you had time to carry out my instructions ,before you were caught?" Blake said quickly.
"You bet I managed that!"
"Give me your hand, Tinker," Blake said gravely. "I knew I could trust you to the full. Not only have you saved my life, but you've saved Britain, and that is what both of us cared about. But how did you manage? I guessed you had succeeded when Libnau told me that he had taken some hours to catch you."
"And a precious fright I got when he grabbed the papers and looked through them," Tinker replied eagerly. "But he was so delighted, and there were such a lot of them, that he never twigged what I had done. But about that wire! If that doesn't come at once-—"
"Here it is!" Blake interjected.
Tinker looked in the same direction as the great detective. An orderly had ridden on to the plateau, and was trotting towards the group of officers. One of them went to meet him, and took an envelope from his fingers. With it he hurried to the Kaiser.
The latter snatched the telegram brusquely from the officer, tore off the covering, and glanced at the contents. Suddenly his figure became rigid; he bent his head forward; he read carefully; then he gave a cry. With mouth half open, with eyes startled, he stared across the grass at Blake, and Blake, placing his hand on Tinker's shoulder, smiled and bowed.
"He's a good lad, a very good lad, your Majesty," he said, in his strong, vibrant voice, patting Tinker on the shoulder. "General von Libnau is a fool compared to him. Tell him so, with my compliments."
The Kaiser's face went livid. He crumbled up the telegram in his hand, and flung it on the grass. As he strode towards Blake, Libnau picked the telegram up, read it swiftly, and a great flush came to his wrinkled face. Instinctively he dragged from his tunic pocket the papers he had captured from Tinker, and looked through them hurriedly. Blake still smiled, as the Kaiser advanced with steps slow and menacing as a tiger's.
"You know who sent that telegram!" he said, but his voice was so husky that the words were almost inaudible.
"I know that it has come from the British Admiralty," replied Blake.
The Kaiser wheeled round and glared at Tinker. "You telegraphed to London?"
"No, I didn't!" Tinker said. "I posted to the Admiralty one of the documents I bagged out of your palace. in Potsdam. I addressed the envelope to Sir James Seyton, the Parliamentary and Financial Secretary, and I told him to wire to Mr. Blake if he did not hear from him in three days."
"What document was it that you sent to London?" he rapped out, glaring at Tinker.
"The most important and incriminating of the lot!" Tinker replied. "You don't think I'm altogether a fool, I hope!"
"Which was it?"
"I can answer that, if you like," Blake said, gazing scornfully at the Kaiser. "It was that interesting memorandum, in which you sketched out how you and Austria could declare war against the Great Powers of Europe in three years' time. You repudiated all the just claims of Russia, you insulted France, you stated that Italy was not worth considering, and you disclosed your plans by which you meant to attack each country. And you went further than that. You showed how you would lull all the great Powers into a sense of security by protestations of peace until the moment to strike. In fact, by that document you have proved yourself to be the enemy of mankind!"
The Kaiser took a step back.
"And the British Admiralty have that document!" he gasped.
"Yes. But it will not be opened until ten o'clock to-night."
"Sexton Blake, if I release you, and allow you and this lad to return to Britain, will you keep for ever silent as to what you have seen in yonder arsenal?" the Kaiser demanded.
"Certainly not!" Blake replied promptly. "I risked my life to get the information, and I am going to use it for the sake of my country. I am not doing you any injury by that; it is you who have sought to do an injury to Britain."
"You still dare to defy me?"
"Kaiser William, it is for you to decide whether you are prepared to defy the just wrath and might of Europe!" Blake coldly. "I am no suppliant for mercy! Shoot me if you like! But if you do, that document will be opened at ten o'clock, and to-morrow your treachery will be flashed to every city and town in the world. Now make your choice!"
He folded his arms. The Kaiser again tramped up and down agitatedly.
"Baffled! Beaten!" he groaned. "And at the moment I felt most secure! Go!" he thundered, wheeling round and shaking his closed fist convulsively at Blake.
"This time I have lost, but I can wait and watch!"
"And Britain can wake up to her danger!" Blake replied. "And Britain will build as many Dreadnoughts as are necessary when I tell what I have discovered, and she knows that your promises are false, and that your intentions are evil! You will find her ready when you send your fleet to fight her. She has been mistress of the seas, and, despite you, so she will remain!"
We shall see about that!" the Kaiser said bitterly.
"We shall!" Blake agreed. "Come, Tinker! I have no doubt his Majesty will not forget to send that wire, and as soon as I reach London I will call at the Admiralty and post the memorandum to him direct. You and I have many a happy day yet before us, my lad. German intrigue can do much, but British honesty can do more."
"Good-bye, Libnau!" Tinker said, dabbing his eyes, and spluttering with laughter. "Don't forget me, there's a good chap, and thanks awfully for a pleasant time!"
Roy Glashan's Library
Non sibi sed omnibus
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